ULAN BATOR, March 29 (Xinhua) -- At least 5.9 million or 9.2 percent of Mongolia's livestock have died in this winter's freezing weather, said the country's State Emergency Commission on Friday.
Out of the country's 21 provinces, eastern Sukhbaatar has been the most affected, with a loss of 1.4 million or 38.6 percent of its total livestock population, said the commission.
As Mongolia sees much more snow than usual this winter, over 80 percent of its territory has been blanketed with snow up to 100 cm thick, according to the country's weather monitoring agency.
Mongolia, one of the last surviving nomadic countries in the world, has elevated its disaster preparedness to high alert due to the harsh winter and big livestock loss.
The promotion of livestock husbandry is seen as the most viable way to diversify the landlocked country's mining-dependent economy. ■
