Toxic liquid creeping towards an orange grove

The project is to be funded by the Spanish government and the European Union.

The government also announced a $30m emergency loan for the removal of tonnes of toxic sludge, which spilled into the Guadiamar river and the surrounding area, destroying crops and killing thousands of fish and wildlife.

Makeshift dykes succeeded in diverting the toxic flow away from the national park, but surrounding marshlands suffered severe damage.

The toxic spill came from a mine owned by a Canadian-Swedish conglomerate Boliden Ltd. The company's spokesman on Friday reasserted the company's denial of negligence and said it would be up to Spanish courts to determine liability.

Boliden has agreed to pay for the clean-up, but not the damages claimed by landowners.

Dona�a park expands over 75,000 hectares (185,000 acres) along Spain's southwestern coast, providing shelter for millions of migratory birds and housing threatened species such as lynx and imperial eagle.