The Hai River is a sediment-rich river in China which flows through Beijing and Tianjin, before emptying into the Yellow Sea at the Bohai Gulf. Due to industrial and urban development in the Hai He Basin, the volume of water flow has fell greatly. Many tributaries, both large and small, are dry for most of the year. Coupled with reduced water flow, water pollution becomes more of a problem. 68.3% of the water quality is reported to be poor, and not fit for even human contact, according to the State of Environment Report in 2009 by the Ministry of Environmental Protection. However, the South-North Water Transfer Project was expected to alleviate the water shortage.