Trillions to be spent on pollution

The central government will spend more than 3 trillion yuan ($489.3 billion) to enhance air and water pollution prevention and treatment, environmental officials told an environmental protection industry forum on Sunday.

The government will back an airborne-pollution prevention and control action plan, which will be released soon, with 1.7 trillion yuan in funding, said Wang Tao, an official with the pollution prevention department under the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

Wang added that an estimated 2 trillion yuan will be spent to improve monitoring of drinking water sources and control poisonous contaminants, as required by a water pollution prevention and control action plan in the works.