Top 20 most polluted cities in the world

[farhanalee7]

10 cities from India,3 from Pakistan,3 from Bangladesh

Delhi has the highest level of the airborne particulate matter, PM2.5 considered most harmful to health, with 153 micrograms. Not far behind is another Indian city, Patna with 149 micrograms. These figures are six times what the WHO considers a "safe" limit -- which is 25 micrograms.

Half of the top 20 cities in the world with the highest levels of PM2.5 were in India, according to the pollution data released by the WHO, which included 1,600 cities. Other cities with high levels were located in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
PM2.5 refers to the diameter measured in microns of particulates such as ammonia, carbon, nitrates and sulfate -- which are small enough to pass into the bloodstream and cause diseases such as emphysema and cancer.

The WHO data echoes an earlier study this year which found that air pollution in New Delhi is now worse than Beijing.

No Chinese cities ranked in the top 20 most polluted cities, despite thick, gray smog filling its cities and millions of residents commuting behind surgical masks. Beijing reported 56 micrograms of PM2.5. This year, Chinese leaders have declared "war on pollution."



Delhi has been described as having weak enforcement of pollution controls by India's Center for Science and Environment, a public interest group.

"Originally designed as compact entities to reduce the length of travel ... (Indian cities) are becoming victims of killer pollution, congestion ... and a crippling car-dependent infrastructure," according to the group.



Air pollution has spread by increasing reliance on fossil fuels, coal-fired power plants, cars and the use of biomass for cooking and heating.

Cities with the lowest level of pollution were located in Canada, the United States, Finland, Iceland and Sweden.
Top 20 most polluted cities in the world - CNN.com

 

[farhan_9909]

So peshawar has made it to the list.

I do agree about peshawar and Pindi,

 

[Chak Bamu]

Glad to see that Lahore is not in that list.

But what is wrong with Amritsar? @he-man , @Butchcassidy What's the source of pollution in Amritsar my friends?

 

[he-man]

Glad to see that Lahore is not in that list.

But what is wrong with Amritsar? @he-man , @Butchcassidy What's the source of pollution in Amritsar my friends?

no idea man,,,,the usual suspects i guess.

cars,autos..............in short vehicles.
i think we have to do something ,,,i can personally vouch for the fact that delhi may be really the most polluted city by a good margin

 

[Chak Bamu]

no idea man,,,,the usual suspects i guess.

cars,autos..............in short vehicles.
i think we have to do something ,,,i can personally vouch for the fact that delhi may be really the most polluted city by a good margin

I had an impression that GOI / Delhi Admin did take some solid steps to curb pollution back in '00s. Reportedly airliners were having problems landing in Delhi because the pollution was so bad back then. So, the effects of that effort are gone now?

I want to visit Delhi someday, and I hope to see a clean and nice tourist-friendly place. I am not coming here otherwise.

 

[he-man]

I had an impression that GOI / Delhi Admin did take some solid steps to curb pollution back in '00s. Reportedly airliners were having problems landing in Delhi because the pollution was so bad back then. So, the effects of that effort are gone now?

I want to visit Delhi someday, and I hope to see a clean and nice tourist-friendly place. I am not coming here otherwise.

delhi is awesome for tourists,,no doubt about it man.

i mean in past 10 years there has been unbelievable progress but due to rising income ppl have got just damn too many vehicles and that has caused lot of pollution.

but u gotta visit delhi,,,at least metro.

 

[mr42O]

delhi is awesome for tourists,,no doubt about it man.

i mean in past 10 years there has been unbelievable progress but due to rising income ppl have got just damn too many vehicles and that has caused lot of pollution.

but u gotta visit delhi,,,at least metro.

Cheap vehicles which would never allowed in west who pollute more which does not help either.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

Air quality readings are taken by the American embassy in Beijing, and still we didn't get into the top 20.

 

[tranquilium]

Please, Beijing doesn't even have that much industry and certainly does not have nearly as much population density as some of the other cities in the world, why would people be surprised that it isn't really as polluted as some media like to make it out to be? Look, it is wonderful for some people to imagine that Chinese cities as "despite thick, gray smog filling its cities and millions of residents commuting behind surgical masks" just to get some comfort from the fact that China's industry is the strongest in the world, the reality is outside the specifically days, Chinese cities are way more clean than many cities around world.

Why is that? Well, first of all, China's population density, while certainly isn't low, ranked 83 out of the 200ish nations and regions around the world. Second of all, while China has a very large industry that can produce pollution, it also has one of the largest territories on the planet. Along with the fact it was just about the only major nation in the world that still have money to spend, thus free to spend money treating pollution. The end result is that while pollution is treated as a serious problem, it is not nearly as bad as some of the other countries that have much higher population density, but less money to spend on environment.

 

[veekysingh]

Cheap vehicles which would never allowed in west who pollute more which does not help either.

Delhi has some 10 million vehicle, no it's not because vehicle don't take cheap shots when u not hv knowledge, india hv bharat 3 and bhart 4 standard vehicle so when they come out of factory they are not bad it's ppl and thr desi mentality that they keep running vehicles even after thr services life and make the air much more poluted.

Plus delhi is coverd by small and medium scale industry from each and evey side , even within delhi thr are so many industrial area which creat a lot of pollution and eveyone know how good we are enforcing pollution control law,

 

[applesauce]

Delhi has some 10 million vehicle, no it's not because vehicle don't take cheap shots when u not hv knowledge, india hv bharat 3 and bhart 4 standard vehicle so when they come out of factory they are not bad it's ppl and thr desi mentality that they keep running vehicles even after thr services life and make the air much more poluted.

Plus delhi is coverd by small and medium scale industry from each and evey side , even within delhi thr are so many industrial area which creat a lot of pollution and eveyone know how good we are enforcing pollution control law,

delhi air quality is also affected by the monsoons. in beijing, the air is bad not just because it has more people or more industry than other cities, but a large part is also because the surrounding hills tend to trap bad air over the city.

 

[TaiShang]

President Xi to Give Iron Hand to Polluters
2015-03-06

Chinese President Xi Jinping (front, 2nd R), also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, reviews the work report of the State Council together with National People's Congress (NPC) deputies from Jiangxi Province during the third session of the 12th NPC, in Beijing, capital of China, March 6, 2015. [Photo: Xinhua]


President Xi Jinping vowed here Friday to give an iron hand to any polluters in the smog-choked country.

"We are going to punish, with an iron hand, any violators who destroy ecology or environment, with no exceptions," said Xi, while reviewing the work report of the State Council together with National People's Congress (NPC) deputies from Jiangxi Province.

He asked the Chinese to protect ecology and environment like to "care one's own eyes and life," showing his resolve to curb widespread pollution that is choking the world's second largest economy.

"Protecting environment is ensuring livelihood," Xi said.

His remarks echoed China's government work report that has demonstrated the determination of the world's most populous country to cut pollution.

"Environmental pollution is a blight on people's quality of life and a trouble that weighs on their hearts," it said. "We must fight it with all our might."

The report also said that the world's biggest emitter will cut the intensity of carbon dioxide by at least 3.1 percent this year.

Soil, water and air pollution have remained hot topics at China's annual sessions of the top legislature and political advisory body.

China declared a "war against pollution" last year, calling for tougher regulations over polluting industries.

"Problems such as administration loopholes, weak public awareness and lack of supervision still exist," said Qin Dahe, an academic with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

He suggested long-term planning with a focus on the promotion of green techniques.

Talking with the Jiangxi deputies, Xi also pledged to advance the battle against corruption and governing of the Communist Party of China (CPC), urging to pluck the "rotten trees, cure the sick trees and straighten the crooked trees."

Supervision over the officials, especially the CPC officials, should be strengthened, he said.

Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, joined discussion with deputies from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.

Talking with deputies from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Zhang said that the CPC Central Committee sincerely hopes that the region can carry out the universal suffrage in the election of the HKSAR Chief Executive in 2017 according to the Hong Kong Basic Law and decisions made by the NPC Standing Committee.

That has been the CPC Central Committee's consistent stance on Hong Kong and also the expectations of the Hong Kong compatriots, he said.

Top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng urged to enhance the overall strength and competitiveness of the country's culture while joining the panel discussion with the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee members from the cultural and art sector.

Wang Qishan, head of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, called on to advance the anti-corruption battle and the building of CPC work style and a clean government.

He told NPC deputies from Fujian Province that supervision over officials and the accountability mechanism should be highlighted this year