Industries in Bahrain will be required to install a new device aimed at monitoring their own air pollution, and the introduction of the stack machine is part of the stricter environmental control measures being imposed by the Bahraini government, said Environmental Affairs director-general Khalid Fakhro.

"We are studying the possibility of creating a network of such devices so that the data will be automatically transferred to Environmental Affairs," he told a visiting World Bank and UN consultant on environment.

"We will start the project with major industries where the stack machine will be installed. It will be an auto analyser, which will monitor the emission of pollutants.

"By establishing a network, we will be able to receive real-time information on air pollution caused by industries.The proposed network will enable us to log into the system of the concerned industries and download information for analysis."

The project will complement the work carried out by four air pollution monitoring stations in different regions of the country. Fakhro said plans were in progress to have a quota system for the management of certain industries according to the types of gases they emited. Dr Suju George, managing director of the Bombay-based Centre for Advocacy and Research in the Environment (Care), praised the high standards maintained by the regulatory bodies in Bahrain to ensure the quality of the country's environment. Dr George, who has worked on several consultancy projects for the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and the UN Development Programme, offered her company's expertise in Bahrain's future environmental projects.

"The use of satellite imaging technology and geographical information system (GIS) is extremely important in making a proper Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)," she said. Dr George offered to train Bahrainis in the areas of EIA, GIS, air quality modelling, waste management and satellite imaging technology.

She has 24 years'experience in research and consultancy in environmental assessments and management systems. Care had put up a stand at the GIS 2002 exhibition, which was held recently at Bahrain's Le Royal Meridien Hotel.