China has set up a group to monitor air quality in Beijing and four regions around the capital as part of efforts to ensure the 2008 Olympics are pollution free, state press has reported.

The coordinating group will set up a unified air pollution prevention system that will include a monitoring mechanism, according to Zhang Lijun, deputy director of the State Environmental Protection Administration.

The coordinating group will be made up of environmental officials from the cities, provinces and regions of Beijing, Tianjin, Shanxi, Hebei and Inner Mongolia, the Beijing News reported, citing Zhang.

During the Beijing Olympics in August 2008, the regions around the capital will adopt provisional measures to cut air pollution, the newspaper said.

No other details were provided but Beijing officials have said earlier that the city would mandate curbs on car use during the Games while the many coal-fired power plants around the capital could also see cuts in production.

Beijing has over 2.7 million cars on its roads and more than 1,100 are joining the fleet everyday as the automobile becomes a major polluter in the capital.