HOHHOT, April 1 (Xinhua) -- More than 66 percent of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is suffering from persistent drought and the affected area will continue to expand in the next five days, local authorities said Wednesday.

According to the regional meteorological bureau, the drought area in the region has reached 65.97 million hectares.

So far, more than 70 percent of the drought-hit areas are for animal husbandry, it said.

The bureau said most of the region would see little effective precipitation and large temperature fluctuations in the following five days, and the drought area in parts of the region would continue to expand.

It proposes artificially enhancing precipitation when opportunities arise.