Smog is detrimental to health, that much is clear, but how much?
According to World Health Organization’s estimates, 1 million people die every year due to pollution.
Several more are affected by the smog alone.
There are a lot of cities across the world suffering from the Smog issue. The smog has a lot of carbon and other harmful particles in the air. As long as the smog is there, the pollutants are there as well.
Here are the top ten cities in terms of air pollution (mostly smog).
1. Beijing, China
Beijing bans 2.5m cars for 2 weeks to achieve blue sky for parade, vanishes immediately after http://t.co/DXTLxud93T pic.twitter.com/3jo1idBzeb
— Gabe Klein (@gabe_klein) September 4, 2015
This city tops the list of the smoggiest cities in the world. People have to wear masks every time they have to head outside. Winter season is the worst in China for smog.
Cars were banned in the city for two weeks on the account of the parade day. A lot of factories were also shut down. The air quality went up quite a bit, you can see the image in the tweet above for comparison.
2. Ahvaz, Iran
This city is second on the list due to a reason. Ahvaz is the smoggiest Iranian city and only second to Beijing in terms of air quality. A lot of heavy industries operate in Iran, oil diffraction, metal working factories etc which contribute to the smog in the country.
3. UlaanBataar, Mongolia
Another one on the dirtiest cities in the world in terms of air quality, Ulan Bator is also an industrial city and also one of the coldest in the world. The fireplaces, contribute to 70% of the smog in the city during the winter months.
4. Lahore, Pakistan
Unsurprisingly, Lahore is also one of the worst in the world in terms of air pollution. The pollution has been on the rise since several years now. Recently the smog was brought into the spotlight, the cause of which was crop burning in India.
5. New Delhi, India
As you may have read about the cause of the smog recently, you may have heard about Indian cities suffering from it as well. New Delhi is also one of the top cities in the world which face smog conditions regularly. The coal powered plants are the culprits for majority of the smog in the city though.
6. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Riyadh also follows suit as being one of the most “smoggiest” cities in the world. The cause for smog in this city is mainly due to the sand storms. The particles take a long time to settle after a storm which can cause a week long smog in the Saudi Arabian capitol.
7. Cairo, Egypt
Like Ulaanbataar and Ahvaz mentioned above, the leading cause for smog in this city is an increase in the number of industries. Road traffic also contributes to it but not as much as the industries. People are suffering from lung diseases in the city as well.
8. Dhaka, Bangladesh
According to a study by the Max-Planck institute in Maine, about 15,000 people die in Dhaka every year. Air pollution is a major cause for this. The city contains world’s highest concentration of Sulphur Dioxide gas. This gas is formed by burning impure coal which could be used in Dhaka’s coal-fired power plants.
9. Moscow Russia
For this city, the prevailing cause of smog is the high amount of hydrocarbons present in the air. This is due to oil diffraction industries which crack crude oil and purify it. The hydrocarbons are not any less lethal than the Sulphur Dioxide present in Dhaka.
10. Mexico City, Mexico
The city is densely populated and surrounded by mountains causes the smog to gather up. High amounts of hydrocarbons and Sulphur Dioxide are the cause of smog in Mexico City. New transport policies and factories being shut down are slowly decreasing the deadly smog in the city though.
Via Wow reads
Not Karachi and Mumbai in the list?? Strange.
Kyu k wahan dhuwan nazar nahi aata!
Lahore has placed on fourth…. i think smog has happened first time in Lahore and in first time it has been placed in fourth number… I have read somewhere smog in New Delhi is more as compare to Lahore…. but that has placed on fifthe…..
It is because Lahore regularly faces the smog problem but Lahoris dont notice but everyone else who goes there can notice. Yes it has never been this dense in Lahore but it happens regularly because its a dense city with almost no trees
Writer has copy pasted whatever he found on internet. no proper research work and citation, a Pakistani style of writing.
The source site looks like a PRO PTI site with no any contact details. No info how this ranking was calculated.
You are right bro
Lahore on 4th number before Delhi? How it can be possible? The fact is this kind of smog hit city for the first time. Novice article. The person doesn’t seems to know what Smog actually is. Else he wouldn’t have included Riyadh in the list. come on man. Smog is a combination of Smoke and Fog not Sand storm.