Pollution of the seas off China's coasts is worsening, according to a report of a state newspaper on Saturday. «The coastal marine ecosystem is getting worse,» the China Daily quoted Li Chunxian, spokesman for the State Oceanic Administration, as saying. «Large amounts of pollutants are filtering from the land into the sea.» A total of 149,000 square kilometers (57,530 square miles) of sea failed to meet acceptable standards last year _ an increase of 10,000 square kilometers (3,860 square miles) over 2005, the report said. The most heavily polluted areas were in the Bohai Sea off China's northeast coast and the mouth of the Yangtze River near Shanghai, the report said. The government says pollution is increasing due to China's rapid economic growth and the failure of factories, sewage systems and other sources to obey environmental regulations. A total of 12.9 million tons of waste was discharged into the sea last year, the China Daily said. The spokesman «called for more efforts to repair the damage and strengthen control of discharge containing harmful elements,» the China Daily said.
