10 Most Polluted Cities In The World

The World Health Organisation looks to chip in and assist these cities in reducing pollution affecting people, they even provide an Air Quality Database. The following is a list of cities that are the most polluted in the world.

Kanpur, India

It is a no-brainer that most cities on this list will be in India. The cities in India are highly and densely populated, with many industrial areas mingled in with residential ones. With the high population and lack of strict measures by the government on waste and fume management, the city tops the list of the most polluted cities in the world.

The level of annual PM2.5 in Kanpur is 173 mcg per cubic meter. That is almost 17 times higher than what the world health organisation recommends, which should be less than 10 mcg/m3. That, of course, puts the lives of those living in this city in imminent danger.

Faridabad, India

Air pollutants in this Indian city are 25 times higher than what the WHO recommends. The intriguing data that was released by WHO clearly shows that people in this town are breathing toxic air. Studies from research foundations suggest that air pollution is mostly brought about by several seasonal activities.

These activities include emission from running motor vehicles, industrial plants, burning of solid waste like rubber, plastic, and dry leaves. Street sweeping building and road construction without controlling the dust, using diesel generators, and also removal of vegetation has led to an increase in pollution in India.

Varanasi, India

Another Indian city makes it to the top ten lists of the most polluted cities in the world. With air pollution contributing to the highest percentage of pollution in the city, the other types of pollution are also very rampant in this town. There is no proper garbage disposal in the town; drinking water is also polluted, the city itself is so untidy too.

Water in this city is polluted, and you can't find clean water to use at home, the parks are also so untidy and seem like they have never been attended to, making life in this city for many people a nightmare.

Gaya, India

It is a holy city that has myriads of the Buddhist and Hindu temples. The town has 149 mcg/m3, which is still way above the WHO recommended mcg/m3. Gaya is the fourth most polluted city in the world.

The authorities are, however, aware of the menace they face, and they are always trying to address this issue. Hospitals in the Gaya area receive patients with numerous allergies brought about by excessive pollution. Patients show up with eye problems, sneezing, itching, and even whooping cough.

Patna, India

Patna is the fourth polluted city in India and the fifth in the list of most polluted cities in the world. The air quality in this town contains up to eight pollutants, which include ammonia, lead, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and ozone. Significant sources of pollution in this city include industrial emissions, vehicular emission, road dust, domestic fuel burning, construction activities, and open waste burning.

All these produce harmful fumes that are hazardous to the human body. Such fumes may lead to lung cancer and even damage the respiratory system.

Delhi, India

Delhi had initially topped the list of the most polluted cities in the world, but after some few measures, it has dropped down the list, but still features because of a substantial amount of pollution. In fact, it is ranked as the top major city that is most polluted.

Air pollution is ranked as the fifth biggest killer in the country. India has got the highest number of deaths as a result of asthma and other respiratory-related diseases. The emissions from vehicles and industries are the main contributors to the polluted air.

Lucknow, India

The air situation in this city has not been that fit for humans. In some cases, people have been reported to be made unconscious because of a lack of oxygen. The dominant pollutants in this town include carbon monoxide, ozone, PM2.5, and nitrogen oxide. Lucknow is rated as the third most polluted town in India.

Bamenda, Cameroon

In Cameroon alone, the number of deaths due to air pollution is around 7,000 every year. The level of PM2.5 in the air in this Cameroonian city is 13 times more than the recommended level by the World Health Organisation.

That, therefore, makes this town one of the most polluted cities in the world. But unlike the other cities where emissions are more evident and rampant, leading to pollution, changing weather patterns and deforestation are the major contributors. However, this is the only polluted city out of India that makes it in the top ten list.

Agra, India

Agra's poor air quality is a result of high temperatures and dust storms that blow over the city. The hospitals in this town receive tons of patients suffering from respiratory diseases. Physicians claim that high temperatures combined with the dust pollute the air around this town.

However, the city is looking to reduce the pollution by vehicle emission control, municipal solid waste burning, industrial emissions control, and also controlling air pollution in construction sites.

Muzaffarpur, India

This town marks the end of the most polluted cities in the world. The most significant contributor to the massive air pollution is particulate matter. It is said that the decrease in temperature has brought about poor air quality. That is because low temperatures bring about thermal inversion, which holds the pollutants from escaping into the upper part of the atmosphere.

Also, the use of generators and lamps that are diesel-operated bring about pollution in the air. There are industrial units that also use such generators, which contribute to the immense air pollution in the city.