China plans to spend 18 billion dollars on cleaning up one of the country's most contaminated coastal areas, Bohai Bay, state media reported Monday.
The 130-billion-yuan project will monitor seawater quality, set up treatment plants, tackle industrial pollution and establish marine parks, the China Daily reported, citing an unnamed State Oceanic Administration official.
Bohai Bay, about 150 kilometres (90 miles) east of the capital Beijing, is part of the Bohai Sea, which previous reports have said could take at least 200 years to clean up.
Industrial sewage, pesticides, fertilisers, much of it from the Yellow River, and the dumping of rubbish have left it severely polluted.
The move to clean up Bohai Bay is part of the country's efforts to rehabilitate its coastal areas and improve their contribution to economic growth, Monday's report said
However the government frequently announces environmental clean-up projects involving billions of dollars, many of which apparently have little effect.
