World’s most polluted cities

With recent data showing that air pollution in Delhi is far worse than in Beijing, we take a look at some of the most polluted cities on the planet. From Chernobyl in Ukraine to Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, these places have become hubs of deadly pollutants

India’s national capital has beaten Beijing to become the world’s most polluted city in the world. The air in New Delhi is said to contain more dangerous pollutants.

In the first three weeks of January, the average daily peak reading of fine particulate matter (harmful dust) was 473. This was twice as high as the average in Beijing. On eight days, the level had even breached 500. Even as these numbers have been thrown up, there have been few signs of alarm in the media.

Experts have for long said that the air in India is among the worst in the world with Indians having the weakest lungs on the planet. The combination of polluted air, poor sanitation and contaminated water can be very harmful for the lungs.

More than a decade ago, the country’s highest court had ruled that in Delhi all public transport vehicles must convert to compressed natural gas. However, the onslaught of cars has only made matters worse.

Beijing, China

While Beijing has lost out to Delhi as world’s most polluted city, air pollution in the Chinese capital is still at dangerously high levels. In the second week of January, the situation was so bad that the government closed all major highways and issued health warnings.  People couldn’t see tall buildings even standing across the street. The small particulate pollution level was 24 times the standard safety level. Commuters were seen wearing face masks.

Major sources of pollution in Beijing are coal burning and car emissions. The mayor has pledged to cut coal use by 2.6 million tonnes and set aside $2.4 billion to improve air quality this year as an “all-out effort” to tackle air pollution.

Ulan Bator, Mongolia

It’s a place not many would be able to locate on a map. But the capital of Mongolia, Ulan Bator, is one of the most polluted cities in the world. The harmful dust is six to seven times higher than WHO standards. The thick, toxic smog is harmful and can cause serious damage to the lungs.

Coal and wood burning are said to be the main causes for air pollution in this sparcely-populated city. Several projects have been initiated to clean the air in Ulan Bator including using more energy-efficient models.

Dzerzhinsk, Russia

The Guinness Book of World Records has named Dzerzhinsk in Russia as the most chemically polluted city in the world. Words used to describe the city of Dzerzhinsk  are morbid and deathly. The city was one of the most significant sites for manufacturing chemicals including chemical and biological weapons. All of this resulted in tons and tons of chemical waste being desposited in and around the city. This chemical cocktail has contaminated the soil and water. Residents of this city suffer from various types of cancers due to high concentrations of toxic phenol. In 2003, the death rate in the city exceeded the birth rate by 260 per cent.

While the city continues to remain at the centre of the Russian chemical industry, the government is now likely to allocate $3.3 billion to clean up this hazardous mess.

Chernobyl, Ukraine

In April 1986, a nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, Ukraine exploded killing several hundred people.  Many emergency workers who were exposed to the radiation died. Till date more than 4000 people are said to have died of cancer as a result of exposure to the high radioactive levels. It is said to be the worst nuclear power plant accident in the history of mankind.

Levels of radiation in some places today are nearly 120 times higher than normal and in other places 250 times higher. Today the 30 square kilometer area surrounding the plant is relatively uninhabited.

Bhopal, India

In December 1984, India woke up to one of the worst industrial disasters it has ever witnessed when there was a gas leak at the Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal. Over 5 lakh people were exposed to the toxic gas and chemicals  that made way in and around towns near the plant. More than 10,000 people have died since. The exact number is likely to be far higher.

While the gas leak by itself has not caused much of the soil and groundwater contamination, a lot of it is because toxic wastes from the plant were being dumped prior to that constantly.

Pollutants seeping out of the plant site have caused cancer and growth retardation. Mercury levels in samples collected have shown to be more than 20,000 times higher than standard levels. Even drinking water is said to be contaminated with toxic substances 500 times higher than the WHO safety level.

Today, the anniversary of the Bhopal gas tragedy is observed as anti-pollution day in India.

Tehran, Iran

Ever year, more than 4000 people die because of air pollution in Tehran.

In July last year, schools, government offices and banks were shut due to toxic layers of dust in the Iranian capital. The toxic mist of pollutants is a mix of lead, sulphur dioxide and benzene.The city’s skyline today is commonly enveloped in a yellow blanket of smog.

While many say the main cause is vehicles, the main reason could be gasoline. When faced with fuel shortage, Iran produced its own gasoline which is said to be adding to the pollution. The crisis is continuing not just in Tehran but also in other cities of Iran.

Linfen, China

Linfen is often referred to as China’s Chernobyl and once bore the tag as most polluted city in the world. It is choked with toxic air from coal burning power plants and factories.

The city is a hub of coal production which has also turned out to be a bane for this city. Finding a balance between economic development fuelled by the production of coal and protecting the environment has today become vital for it.

Several media reports have stated that the air in Linfen is so dirty from coal mining that it immediately blackens clothes that are hung out to dry. Burning eyes and bleeding noses are common complaints.

La Oroya, Peru

The Peruvian mining town of La Oroya has taken a toll on its residents. This city has also been compared to Chernobyl for the highly toxic levels of heavy metals in the air including copper, lead and zinc. Other contaminants include arsenic, cadmemium and sulphur dioxide. The thick fumes from the multi-metal smelter irritate the throat and burn the eyes. The blood lead levels in children who live here are dangerously high leaving them extremely ill. The smoke-filled air, bare vegetation and sludge-coloured river have made life difficult to live here.

Norilsk, Russia

This once Siberian slave camp has never really had anything good going for it. Norilsk is home to the world’s largest heavy metal smelting complex, which releases more than 4 million tons of  cadmium, copper, lead and arsenic among other toxic substances every year. This has also made it the world’s largest producer of acid rain.

Smoke billowing out of chimneys of the smelting plants cloud the sky of this rather unknown city. Ironically, one of the plants is named ‘Hope’, something that those who live here seem to have given up on, given the toxic cocktail of substances they are forced to breathe every single day.