The air quality index in China's Tibet Autonomous Region will be measured and announced periodically starting next year, the region's environmental bureau announced on Wednesday.
In preparation for the launch, 18 air monitoring stations have been built in seven regions on the prefecture level in Tibet, according to China Daily.
Jambai, head of Tibet's environmental bureau, said that real-time data gathering at the stations has been synchronized with the national environmental monitoring network for better surveying of air quality in the region.
The stations have the capacity to determine the presence of air pollutants like nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone content and the small pollutants called PM2.5.
"The launch of Tibet's air quality index will enable public supervision on environmental protection work in the region," Jambai said.
Although known to boast part of the world's freshest air, Tibet, which is located on the world's highest plateau, has been shown to be suffering from a certain level of smog, particularly in the administrative capital Lhasa.
Photos showing the famed Potala Palace in the capital being engulfed in smog have caused worry about the air quality in the region after they were circulated on the Internet.
Last winter, a dust formation caused flight delays in the region.