Red tides increase off China coast

Untreated sewage being pumped into the sea off the east coast of China is causing potentially dangerous red tides in the waters around Shanghai.

The local branch of the state oceanography bureau says the number of red tides being reported each year is increasing.

It blames the dumping of untreated household sewage.

The Shanghai Daily newspaper said the local government was monitoring the situation and is expected to spend more on sewage disposal facilities in the next few years. Red tides, a bloom of bacteria that gives a red tint to coastal waters, produces toxins that kill fish and contaminate crustaceans.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service