More than 1,000 Iraqis were brought to hospitals with respiratory illnesses on Thursday as a result of a sandstorm, the country’s eighth in less than a month, according to official media.

Residents in six of Iraq’s 18 provinces were awakened to a heavy cloud of dust blanketing the sky, including Baghdad and the huge western area of Al-Anbar.

Authorities in the provinces of Al-Anbar and Kirkuk, located north of the city, have asked residents to remain indoors, according to the official INA news agency.

According to Anas Qais, a health official reported by INA, hospitals in Al-Anbar province have received more than 700 people with respiratory problems.

According to the news agency, the central province of Salaheddin reported over 300 cases, while the central province of Diwaniya and the province of Najaf, south of Baghdad, both reported approximately 100 instances.

Iraq is particularly sensitive to climate change, having recently seen record low rainfall and high temperatures.

These variables, according to experts, threaten to bring social and economic calamity to the war-torn country.

The World Bank warned in November that climate change might result in a 20% reduction in water supplies in Iraq by 2050.

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