China has allocated more than 50 billion yuan ($7.90 billion) since 2008 to allow resource-exhausted cities to achieve sustainable development, the National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement on Friday.

About 6.84 billion yuan was invested in revamping the geological environment of those cities, the NDRC said.

More than 76,000 hectares of coal-exhausted mines in these areas were treated, thanks to a slew of environmental protection measures.