The Chinese government has announced it is going to seed clouds in an attempt to cause rain.

Beijing was hit hard by a dust storm on Sunday. The fallout extended  to South Korea and Japan.

A thick layer of yellowish sand covered buildings, cars and open spaces after the storm hit overnight on Sunday.

Health officials warned parents to keep their children indoorsand hospitals treated more people for breathing difficulties at the height of the dust storm.

China’s Central Meteorological Bureau said the government would use airplanes to seed clouds to create an artificial rainfall to wash away some of the estimated 300,000 tons of dust and sand that fell on Beijing.

Cloud seeding has been practised around the world for decades, with varying degrees of success.

It involves using aircraft to spray moisture-laden clouds with a crystalline substance such as silver iodide. This can prompt supercooled moisture contained in the clouds to freeze and fall as rain.

Yahoo news photos
This is the 8th dust storm this year.

Such storms occur annually, but experts say desertification in western China is increasing their frequency in the east.

Scientists blame poor farming practices and drought for the expanding desert, which now covers a third of the vast country.

The authorities in Beijing have planted trees around the capital to try to stem the spread of the desert.