A heavy sandstorm blanketed Baghdad on Thursday, causing havoc for residents of the Iraqi capital with flights delayed and dozens of residents with respiratory problems taken to hospitals.

Many people on the streets of Baghdad wore scarves or masks over their mouths as breathing aides.

One man at a hospital told AP Television that he finds it hard to breathe when sandstorms take place, and so he goes to the hospital to help himself feel better.

The number of cases is increasing year by year, and the most aggravating factors is the bad weather that happens along of the year.

Dust and sandstorms are persistent problem in Iraq and other areas in the Middle East. Many Iraqi wetlands have been drained for agriculture or seriously deprived of water by reservoirs upstream.

This can exacerbate dust as wind lifts dry silt from exposed lake and marsh beds.

Sandstorms are most prevalent in the spring and summer months due to the strong winds that characterize the weather during the seasonal transitions.

Blanket: to cover something with a thick layer
Havoc: disorder or chaos
Respiratory: relating to breathing or your lungs
Exacerbate: to make a bad situation worse
Silt: sand, mud, soil etc that is carried in water and then settles at a bend in a river, an entrance to a port etc