Two Pakistani cities can be found among the most polluted megacities of the world. According to Worlds Health Organization, 9 out of 10 people in the world are breathing polluted air, putting their health at enormous risk. Outdoor and household air pollution result in about 7 million deaths annually.
NINE INDIAN CITIES ADDED AMONG THE HIGHLY POLLUTED CITIES OF THE WORLD
The World Health Organization (WHO) has called upon member-countries in its Southeast Asia region to aggressively address the double burden of household and ambient (outdoor) air pollution. WHO reported that each year the region, which comprises India, accounts for 34% or 2.4 million of the seven million premature deaths caused globally by both household and ambient air pollution.
According to the report, more than 90% of air pollution-related deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries (including India), mainly in Asia and Africa, followed by low- and middle-income countries of the Eastern Mediterranean region, Europe and the Americas.
POLLUTED MEGACITIES RANKED BY WHO (World Health Organization)
BeEducated.pk wants you to know about the ten highest ranking polluted megacities of the world, which are as follows:
1. Zabol, Iran
Children play in a cloud of dust, a primarily meteorological phenomenon in Zabol. Though naturally occurring, the dust storms are filled with particles that can damage human lungs in a matter of hours.
2. Allahabad, India
The residents of Allahabad deal with the perfect storm of pollution. Changing wind patterns, coal-burning power plants, vehicular emissions, and deforestation all leave this city, quite literally, in the dust.
3. Riyadh, Saudi a Arab
The Saudi capital experiences severe sandstorms on top of the emissions from vehicles and industrial factories. The tiny sand particles are dangerous to inhale.
4. Peshawar, Pakistan
Peshawar is the 4th most polluted city in world. Due to its industrial area which have many factories producing huge amounts of dangerous smoke.
5. Hengshui, China
This chemical factory in Hengshui might feed Hebei province’s booming economy, but it also contributes to the region’s dangerous levels of air pollution.
6. Jodhpur, India
The old Blue City of Jodhpur is a popular tourist destination. But the constant lack of rain contributes to its poor air quality.
7. Shijiazhuang, China
Some schools have snow days, but schools in Shijiazhuang have the occasional smog days because of the high air pollution in the city.
8. Dammam, Saudi Arabia
As recently as the 1940s and 50s, Dammam was a quiet fishing village, but the discovery of oil transformed this area into a hub for the Saudi energy industry, which lead to its increase in pollution.
9. Rawalpindi, Pakistan
This area of Pakistan is home to steel rolling mills, leather tanning facilities, marble factories and oil refineries. All of these industries can, under certain conditions, negatively impact air quality.
10. Delhi, India
The Indian capital was once the most polluted city in the world. The city still struggles with pollution from the burning of nearby rice paddies, burning municipal waste, and vehicle exhaust emissions.
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