The dusty conditions will continue in the coming few days in most of northern China, with severe sandstorms predicted to hit the middle-western part of Inner Mongolia, the Central Meteorological Office said.

A severe sandstorm hit central Inner Mongolia yesterday afternoon, with the visibility of the worst-hit areas falling to 200 metres.

The State Forestry Administration (SFA), which monitored the conditions, said that the latest dust storms affected more than 500 counties within 10 provinces in northern China, covering an area of about 1.6 million square kilometres and affecting a population of about 200 million.

Kang Ling, deputy director of the Inner Mongolian Meteorological Observatory, attributed the dry weather and sudden temperature variations to the widespread dust this spring. Nine days of dusty conditions, including six sandstorms, had occurred in Inner Mongolia so far this spring, she said.

Liu Tuo, director of the sand prevention and control office under the SFA, said it is impossible to eliminate sandstorms under current situation.

"The source of China's sandstorm originates from not only the vast, sandy land in northern China, but also some foreign countries," Liu said.

And the current more than 1.7 million square kilometres of sandy soil and deserts in northern China cannot be reclaimed in a short time, he said.