North China's Hebei province has set up more stations to precisely monitor pollutants in the air as its new efforts to fight against smog.

Since the beginning of this year, Hebei provincial environment protection department has ordered several cities to install devices to collect air pollution data, aimed at setting up a province-wide network.

Handan, one of the first group of cities to trial the precision of monitoring network, has installed 196 stations for air data collection, said officials with the city's environment protection bureau.

Sensors have been put up near key industrial plants, main thoroughfares and airways in the city to collect data on six main types of pollutants: sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone and two sizes of particulate matter.

Dust and volatile organic chemicals sensors have been installed near large construction sites and gas stations.

"If certain data goes high, our staff will respond immediately, track the source and send inspectors to intervene," said Gao