The 14 most polluted cities in the world are all in one country

Mark Abadi

May 19, 2018, 22:46 IST

The 14 most polluted cities in the world are all in one country

Manish Swarup/AP

India is home to the 14 most polluted towns in the world, according to the World Health Organization.

The 14 most polluted cities in the world are all located in India, according to the World Health Organization.
The city of Kanpur topped the list, while Delhi and Agra also appeared in the top 10.
Living with air pollution is a harsh reality for Indians, many of whom have resorted to wearing surgical masks and protesting in the street for cleaner air.

The 14 most polluted cities in the world are all in India, according to a recent report from the World Health Organization.

The northern town of Kanpur topped the list, which measured cities by their level of fine particulate matter in the air, known as PM 2.5. Over the period from 2010 to 2016, Kanpur registered 173 micrograms per cubic meter of PM 2.5 - dangerously higher than the 10 micrograms considered safe for humans.

Other cities on the list included Delhi, Lucknow, Agra, Jaipur, and Jodhpur.

Unfortunately for many Indians, living with air pollution is a harsh reality of everyday life. Many people have resorted to wearing surgical masks in the street, and cases of respiratory problems have increased in some towns.

Read on to see what life is like in some of the most polluted towns in the world:

India has many of the most polluted cities in the world. The World Health Organization recently announced that the 14 most polluted cities are all in India.

In some cities, air pollution reduces visibility to 400 meters or less.

In many cities, locals have resorted to wearing surgical masks outside.

Delhi, India's capital, was hit especially hard by pollution in 2016. A particularly thick cloud of smog shrouded the city for more than a week, forcing school cancellations and protests around the city.

Athletes like this visiting cricket player from Sri Lanka take precautions when they play in India. In 2017, two cricketers threw up on the field when Sri Lanka and India played a test match.

In 2017, the amount of hazardous particles in the air spiked to 75 times the level considered safe by the World Health Organization.

Experts compared the pollution in Delhi to smoking 44 cigarettes a day.

Pollution has even helped cause the iconic Taj Mahal to turn yellow, Indian officials said.

One of the main sources of India's air pollution is coal-burning factories.

Heavy vehicle traffic plays a part, too.

And in many towns, such as Kanpur, the most polluted city on the list, unpaved roads send thick plumes of dirt and dust into the air.

The pollution is having a debilitating effect on people's health. The local hospital is overcrowded with patients with respiratory problems. One doctor told Reuters they admit a new lung cancer patient every week.

Thirty percent of all premature deaths in India — more than 2.5 million a year — are caused by pollution, according to New Delhi's Centre for Science and Environment.

Many local governments recognize the dangers of pollution, but only a handful have the resources to take action.

"This is truly a health emergency," said Anumita Roychowdhury, an executive director at the Centre for Science and Environment.

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