List of the most polluted cities in the world. The dirtiest city in the world The dirtiest city on the Yenisei

In everyday life, we often encounter dirt on the streets of Moscow. Our city is truly not the cleanest on the planet, and we are not ashamed to constantly talk about it. You can often hear on TV that it is difficult to imagine a place dirtier than Moscow.

And the figurines! Moscow is only 14th on the “black” list.

Journalists from the American magazine took as a basis a 2007 report from the consulting company Mercer Human Resource Consulting, which described the environmental situation of 215 of the world's largest cities. All cities were compared to New York, whose scores were set to 100.

The indicators for the dirtiest city in the world, Baku, are 27.6. In many respects, analysts of the consulting company believe, this is due to the presence of many oil production and processing plants in the city. In addition, many of them have not been rebuilt since Soviet times.

According to the founder of the Blacksmith Institute of New York, Richard Fuller, “in cities with very polluted air, all environmentally hazardous enterprises should be closed immediately. This can really help restore the environment.

Almaty (Kazakhstan) is nine points behind Baku with a pollution level of 39.1.

Moscow index is 43.4. That is, we are more than twice as dirty as New York. As the publication's journalists note, the high level of pollution does not affect real estate prices in the Russian capital - housing prices here are slightly inferior to those in London.

Again, the fact that Moscow’s neighbors according to the rating are the capitals of far from the most developed countries in the world brings me to sad thoughts...

Oddly enough, not only people suffer from pollution, but also the economy. The costs of treating workers and reducing productivity are hitting businesses hard, says Slagin Parakatil, a senior researcher at Mercer Human Resource Consulting. According to his calculations, invested in protection environment On average, a dollar generates a profit of $9 by reducing costs for protecting the health of workers and increasing their productivity.

“There is such a pattern in sociology - the “20/80” law or the Pareto rule. In practice, this means that about 80% of the results obtained are achieved within 20% of the time spent on this work. Thus, by spending relatively little, we will save enough lives,” he said.

BY THE WAY

Calgary, Canada, is recognized as the cleanest city on the planet.

TOP 25: The dirtiest cities in the world

1. Baku, Azerbaijan. Pollution index: 27.6.

2. Dhaka, Bangladesh. Pollution index: 29.6.

3. Antananarivo, Madagascar. Pollution index: 30.1.

4. Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Pollution index: 34.

5. Mexico City, Mexico. Pollution index: 37.7.

6. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Pollution index: 37.9.

7. Mumbai, India. Pollution index: 38.2.

8. Baghdad, Iraq. Pollution index: 39.

9. Almaty, Kazakhstan. Pollution index: 39.1.

10. Brazzaville, Congo. Pollution index: 39.1.

11. N'Djamena, Chad. Pollution index: 39.7.

12. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Pollution index: 40.

13. Bangui, Central African Republic Pollution index: 42.1.

14. Moscow, Russia. Pollution index: 43.4.

15. Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Pollution index: 43.4.

16. Bamako, Mali. Pollution index: 43.7.

17. Point Noire, Congo. Pollution index: 43.8.

18. Lome, Togo. Pollution index: 44.1.

19. Conakry, Republic of Guinea. Pollution index: 44.2.

20. Nouakchott, Mauritania. Pollution index: 44.7.

21. Niamey, Nigeria. Pollution index: 45.

22. Luanda, Angola. Pollution index: 45.2.

23. Maputo, Mozambique. Pollution index: 46.3.

24. New Delhi, India. Pollution index: 46.6.

25. Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Pollution index: 46.8.

Back in the 17th century, Peter I issued a decree monitoring cleanliness in the capital city and proper punishment for polluting the streets. According to the document, it was forbidden to throw garbage onto the street; on the contrary, it prescribed full control over the cleanliness of streets and pavements, as well as the removal of garbage outside of Moscow. I wonder which cities today need such a decree? Let's look at the most polluted cities in the world.

This city has been a major leather center for a long time. Over the years, the scale of production has become larger, but the technology for tanning leather has not changed for more than a hundred years. There are about three hundred leather industries in Bangladesh, more than 90% of them are concentrated in Hazaribagh. The leather tanning methods used in production are not only outdated, but are also very negative for the surrounding atmosphere.

How does the dirtiest city in the world live? Every day, more than 20,000 liters of industrial waste, which contains high concentrations of chromium, are discharged into the local Buriganga River. The air element also suffers, receiving a huge portion of toxic substances during the combustion of waste soaked in reagents. The ecological situation in Hazaribagh is the most unfavorable; everything in the city is in critical condition: air, water, plants and animals. The meat of local birds and animals is extremely hazardous to health.

An increased concentration of chromium in the air leads to local residents Chronic respiratory diseases develop, and the risk of cancer is increased. IN this moment About 15 thousand people work in production, among them women and children. They accept workers from an early age; upon reaching the age of eleven, children begin hard work. To process raw materials, a solution of hexavalent chromium is used in production; this is what has had such an impact on the environmental situation of Hazaribagh.

This Russian city is one of the most major centers non-ferrous metallurgy. But this is not what brought glory to Norilsk; unfortunately, it is the dirtiest of all. Every year the air of Norilsk is “enriched” with huge amounts of copper, nickel oxide and sulfur dioxide. More than 2 million tons of harmful compounds are released into the atmosphere annually. Because of this, not only the air suffers, but also the soil and water. According to statistics, the local population lives 10 years less than the inhabitants of other cities.

IN modern world All kinds of gadgets have become objects of mass use. It’s hard to imagine our life without them. But few people think about where a broken or outdated phone or microwave oven goes. But residents of Accra, the capital of Ghana, know this firsthand. There is an entire area in the city that houses electronic waste that flows from other countries to the largest landfill on the planet.

Ghana imports e-waste every year, most of it from Western Europe. The amount of waste entering the landfill is simply shocking - about 215 thousand tons per year, and this does not take into account our own waste, which reaches 130 thousand tons annually. Some of the waste is recycled by local enterprises that refurbish electrical appliances. But the part that is not suitable for recycling is burned, which became the reason for the pollution of the city.

Beijing is the most polluted city on the planet, this is exactly what representatives of the European Space Agency said. It was here that the highest levels of nitrogen dioxide in the atmosphere were recorded. In the capital, and in other cities, more than four hundred thousand people die every year due to unfavorable ecology.

There are simply a huge number of cars in Beijing, about 2.5 million in total. Automobile emissions are a major contributor to greenhouse gases, the country's second-largest greenhouse gas emissions after the United States.

More than a century ago, lead deposits were discovered in Kabwe, Zambia's second largest city. Since then, lead has been mined here, whose waste leads to poisoning of the soil and everything around. The city has become extremely toxic; it is dangerous not only to drink water, but even to breathe. And this applies to lands within a radius of several kilometers from the city. The level of lead in the blood of the local population is tens of times higher than the permissible limit.

This city has long been considered one of the worst in terms of air pollution. And all this is explained by the fact that in the quarter of the poor, zaballin, garbage is recycled. The quarter was even called the city of garbage, since here poor people have to collect, sort and prepare various waste for further processing with their own hands. All this looks extremely unsightly.

The first floors of shacks in Egyptian slums are reserved for sorting and packaging waste; people live on the upper floors simple people. The streets, staircases, even the roofs of the slums are buried under mountains of garbage, often already decomposed. It is customary to burn plastic directly on the streets; women and children do this, as well as sorting. Men are responsible for removal. Here, in the air poisoned by plastic, the poor cook, sell cakes and fruits, and generally live their lives to the fullest. East Cairo is awash in garbage, which has long been considered an environmental disaster zone.

The capital city is on the 9th line of the ranking of the most unfavorable cities in India from an environmental point of view, and New Delhi is not inferior to many in the world list industrial cities. Not surprising, because there are simply a huge number of cars polluting the air. Delhi is not inferior to megacities; there are more than 8 million cars in the city! Sewage, bypassing the treatment process, goes directly into the Jamna River. Among the poor people from slums, it is common practice to burn waste directly on the street. More than half the population lives in unsanitary conditions. Harvard Institute researchers estimate that two out of five local residents have lung disease.

In addition to the capital, India has similarly polluted cities. For example, industrial Lucknow ranks first in pollution, followed by Mumbai, and then Kolkata.

As you know, in the 86th year of the last century there was an explosion of the fourth power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. More than 150,000 square kilometers were under the radioactive cloud. The epicenter of the explosion turned into an exclusion zone, and the local population was evacuated. Chernobyl was literally empty before our eyes, turning into a ghost town. No one has lived here for more than thirty years. In the common sense, Chernobyl is a completely favorable place, because there are no industries here now, people who leave waste behind, and cars do not pollute the air. But radiation cannot be seen or “touched”. But, nevertheless, the city remains one of the most dangerous for humans on the planet.

The town located in Chelyabinsk region, became famous for its copper processing plant. It is because of the waste from this production that Karabash is in such a deplorable state. At the end of the last century, the city was declared an environmental disaster zone. Now about 15 thousand people live here, each of whom greatly risks their health.

Vegetation is almost completely absent here, and the territory itself is more like landscapes often seen in science fiction films. Scorched earth, mountains of waste, cracked orange earth, equally strange and unreal reservoirs, acid rain. Products from the processing of lead, arsenic, sulfur and copper are in the air. In 2009, the city was removed from the list of the most polluted, this is due to the start of modernization of the plant.

The dirtiest cities in the world, photos of which look more like scenes from the worst horror films, are dangerous for the entire planet. The water cycle in nature, soil migration, and air currents carry toxic substances over vast areas in all directions, leaving no chance to isolate ourselves from this problem. Experts estimate that more than a billion people on Earth suffer from the harmful effects of toxins and hazardous chemicals. That is why the problem cannot be confined to one city; it must be solved promptly and on a global scale.

We all tend to complain about our own lives, about the conditions and place where we live. Have you ever thought that there are people whose lives are much worse and more difficult than yours? This is worth thinking about at least once in your life. Today we will share with you the ranking of the top 10 dirtiest cities in the world. These cities are not only unpleasant to be in, but also pose a high risk to life. But people still live there. Now you will have the opportunity to see from the outside the living conditions of some people. This will help you understand how to live well in cleanliness and order.

We will tell you about the most polluted cities in the world and reveal to you the reasons why they became so. Sometimes it’s even difficult to imagine that people can really exist in such conditions. These are not all places, but only some of the most unsightly places on our planet. Well, it's time to start. For the faint of heart, as they say, please leave.

10 Rudnaya Pristan, Russia.

Russian city opens the ranking with the dirtiest cities in the world. It is estimated that approximately 90 thousand people are considered potentially infected. And all because of harmful substances such as mercury, lead and cadmium, which pollute everything around. These substances are contained in everything that a person needs: drinking water, fauna and soil. As a result, local residents cannot fully obtain the necessary water or grow crops; this is simply dangerous to their health. Even the blood of local children contains many dangerous substances that exceed the norm by an unacceptable number of times. But it doesn't get any better. Every year the scale of pollution increases.

9 Ranipet, India.

In this area there is a large tannery engaged in tanning and dyeing leather. Chromium salts, sodium chromate and other harmful substances are used to operate the plant, and subsequently tons of hazardous waste, instead of being eliminated and disposed of, end up in groundwater. Drinking water, groundwater and soil become unusable, which not only makes people sick, but also causes many deaths. However, local farmers continue to work on contaminated soil, irrigating their crops with contaminated water.

8 Norilsk, Russia.

Norilsk is a city in which there is a huge number of plants and factories where heavy metals are melted. As a result, harmful substances such as nickel, strontium, copper, etc. constantly hovering in the air. You won't envy the city's residents. Snow, more like mud, and the air tasted of sulfur. But this is not the worst thing. Mortality is increased, life expectancy is much lower than the national average, and almost everyone here has illnesses. Foreign tourists no longer come to Norilsk, because even a short stay in this city can affect your well-being, making it very difficult to recover later.

7 Mailuu-Suu, Kyrgyzstan.

In the immediate vicinity of this settlement there is a huge burial site of radioactive substances. The radiation level in these places exceeds the norm tens of times. Since landslides and floods caused by earthquakes, as well as heavy rains and mudslides are common in this area, hazardous substances will spread across the region like lightning. As a result, local and nearby residents suffer from cancer.

6 LinFin, China.

Although Linfen is not the dirtiest city in the world, it probably has the worst environmental situation in the country. There are harmful substances in the air such as lead, carbon, ash, etc. The content of these substances has long exceeded all permissible standards. We can say that the Chinese themselves are to blame for this. Everyone knows that the country is in dire need of coal, so hundreds of mines, sometimes illegal and completely unregulated, are being created throughout the territory. Alas, the city of Linfen has become a kind of mine. As a result, people suffer and suffer from severe and incurable diseases.

5 La Oroya, Peru.

This small mining town has long been exposed to toxic emissions released into the atmosphere due to the work of the local plant. The blood of local children contains amounts of lead that have long exceeded all norms. As a result, children are forced to suffer from serious illnesses. But the vegetation in this city has long been forgotten. Everything that once grew here was destroyed by acid rain.

4 Kabwe, Zambia.

In the last century, rich deposits of lead were discovered in this city. The air is so polluted with heavy metals that the standards are exceeded 4 times. Residents are reaping the dire consequences of hazardous substances entering their bodies: vomiting, diarrhea, blood poisoning, chronic kidney disease and even muscle atrophy.

3 Haina, Dominican Republic.

A factory producing car batteries is located in this area. The waste from this plant is very dangerous because it contains a very high lead content. The amount of this substance is so critical that it exceeds the norm not several times, not even tens, but thousands of times! It's hard to even imagine. The most common diseases in this area are congenital deformities, mental disorders and eye diseases.

2 Dzerzhinsk, Russia.

This city was once a center for the production of chemical weapons. Afterwards, tons of chemical waste were illegally written off and dumped into groundwater. People in this city do not live to old age. Men, at best, live up to 42 years, and women a little longer - up to 47 years. According to estimates, the mortality rate in Dzerzhinsk has long exceeded the birth rate by 2.6 times. The forecast is not the most optimistic. It’s sad that our country ranks 3rd in the top ten dirtiest cities in the world.

1 Chernobyl, Ukraine.

Chernobyl takes 1st place in the ranking and receives the title of the dirtiest city in the world. There is probably no person on earth who has not heard about the disaster that occurred in Chernobyl. During tests at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the reactor core melted and a terrible explosion occurred. As a result, 30 people died immediately on the spot. 135 thousand people were evacuated. Since then, no one has lived in the city. We also remember about the bombs that were once dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and so the explosion that occurred in Chernobyl entailed a hundred times greater release of radioactive substances. This tragedy will forever remain in the hearts and memories of people. And the consequences of this accident are visible to this day.

The dirtiest city in the world | Video

99% of scientists agree that the Earth's climate is changing at a tremendous rate, faster than they can analyze it. The remaining percentage of scientists are paid generous subsidies by oil producing and other industrial companies to cover up the shameful consequences of their activities. Carbon dioxide is just one of many causes of global climate change. Much more serious problem is methane - it is about 17 times more toxic than carbon dioxide.

As glaciers melt in the oceans, they release methane that has been locked away for millions of years in the form of frozen plants. If all of Greenland's 2.3 cubic kilometers of glaciers melted, global sea levels would rise by 7.2 meters, and the hundred most populated cities the world will be completely under water. It is not yet known how long it will take for the world's second largest ice sheet to melt, but the worst part is that the most big glacier- Antarctica - has already begun to melt.

Behind last years Huge amounts of hazardous waste entered the Earth's atmosphere. Industry and fuel companies are being destroyed Natural resources, cut down forests and release deadly substances into the atmosphere. There are places on Earth that, it seems, nothing can help, only time.

10. Agbogbloshie, Ghana - electronic waste dump.

Most of the electronics we throw away will likely end up in a huge, constantly burning landfill in Ghana. The mercury levels here are horrifying, 45 times higher than what is allowed in the United States. More than 250 thousand Ghanaians live in conditions that are hazardous to health and life. This is especially true for those whose job it is to rummage through this landfill in search of metals that can be recycled.

9. Norilsk, Russia - mines and metallurgy.

Once there were camps for enemies of the people, and now it is the second largest city in the Arctic Circle. The first mines appeared here in the 1930s, when no one thought about the environment. It is home to the world's largest heavy metal smelting complex, which releases about two million tons of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere annually. Miners in Norilsk live ten years less than the world average. This is one of the most polluted places in Russia: even the snow tastes sulfur and is black in color. Sulfur dioxide emissions cause diseases such as lung cancer.

8. Niger Delta, Nigeria - oil spills.

About two million barrels of oil are pumped out of this zone every day. About 240 thousand barrels end up in the Niger Delta. From 1976 to 2001, about seven thousand cases of oil spills in the river were recorded here, and most of this oil was never collected. The spills caused significant air pollution, producing carcinogens such as polycyclic hydrocarbons. A 2013 study estimates that pollution caused by spills is having a huge impact on cereal crops, leading to a 24% increase in digestive disorders in children. Other consequences of the oil spill include cancer and infertility.

7. Matanza Riachuelo, Argentina - industrial pollution.

About 15 thousand companies dump toxic waste directly into the Matanza Riachuelo River, which flows through the Argentine capital Buenos Aires. The people who live there have almost no clean sources drinking water. There is a high level of diseases associated with diarrhea, oncology and respiratory diseases, which reaches 60% among the 20 thousand people living on the banks of the river.

6. Hazaribagh, Bangladesh - leather production.

About 95% of registered tanneries in Bangladesh are located in Hazaribagh, a district in the capital Dhaka. They use outdated and prohibited leather tanning methods in other countries, not to mention the fact that all these industries emit about 22 thousand cubic liters of toxic chemicals into the world. largest river. Hexavalent chromium, which is found in these wastes, causes cancer. Residents must endure high rates of respiratory and skin diseases, as well as acid burns, nausea, dizziness and itching.

5. Citarum River Valley, Indonesia - industrial and domestic pollution.

Mercury levels in the river are more than a thousand times higher than US Environmental Protection Agency standards. Additional studies have found extremely high levels toxic metals, including manganese, iron and aluminum. The capital of Indonesia, Jakarta, is a city with a population of 10 million people. The Citarum River valley is covered big amount various toxic waste - industrial and household, which is dumped directly into the waters of the river. Fortunately, the country's authorities have taken the initiative to clean up the river, which will be financed by a $500 million loan from the Asian Development Bank.

4. Dzerzhinsk, Russia - chemical production.

300 thousand tons of hazardous chemical waste were dumped in and around the city from 1930 to 1998. In 2007, Dzerzhinsk was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the most poisonous city on the planet. Water samples revealed levels of phenols and dioxins that were thousands of times higher than normal. These substances are directly linked to cancer and disabling diseases. In 2006, the average life expectancy for women here was 47 years, and for men - 42 years, with a population of 245 thousand people.

3. Chernobyl, Ukraine - accident at a nuclear power plant.

The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant holds the title of the worst nuclear disaster in history. The radiation released from the accident was approximately one hundred times greater than that resulting from the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The outskirts of the city have been empty for more than 20 years. It is believed that about 4 thousand cases of thyroid cancer, as well as mutations in newborns, are caused by the consequences of the disaster.

2. Fukushima Daichi, Japan - accident at a nuclear power plant.

After a powerful earthquake, a 15-meter tsunami covered the cooling units and power supply of three Fukushima reactors, leading to a nuclear accident on March 11, 2011. More than 280,000 tons of chemical waste water are now held at the power plant, and another 100,000 tons of water are believed to be in the basements of four reactors in the turbine workshops. The accident liquidators tried to send robots there, but they melted when they got too close. People in this area are at risk of getting the most different types cancer. According to World Organization health, it is the most polluted place in the world. There is a 70% higher risk of thyroid cancer among girls who were exposed to radiation as children, a 7% higher risk of thyroid cancer among boys, and a 6% higher risk of breast cancer among women.

1. Lake Karachay, Russia.

It is believed that Lake Karachay is the dirtiest place on Earth. It is located next to the Mayak production association, which produces nuclear weapons components, isotopes, and is involved in the storage and regeneration of spent nuclear fuel. This is the largest and one of the least efficient similar production facilities in Russia. It has been dumping waste into the river that flows into Lake Karachay since the 1950s. The location was kept secret until the mid-1990s. There were several nuclear accidents at the production site, and toxic waste ended up in the lake. Before the authorities recognized these facts, the number of cases of leukemia among the population of the Chelyabinsk region increased by 40%, birth defects by 25% and cancer by 20%. Exposure for one hour at a lake is enough to kill you.

Technological progress is inextricably linked with the extraction and use of minerals. Intensive development of the earth's interior, heavy industry and industrial waste - all this has an extremely negative impact on the environmental situation of the planet.

Real threat

The soil, ground and external waters, and the atmosphere within a radius of tens of kilometers from the site of mining or man-made objects are polluted. Settlements also fall into the distribution area of ​​toxic and often deadly substances. The most environmentally polluted cities in the world pose a real threat not only to public health, but also to people’s lives. Cancer, gene mutations, high infant mortality, a significant reduction in the average life expectancy of the adult population - this is not the entire list of the terrible consequences of a thoughtless attitude towards the environment.

Criteria for selecting contaminated sites

The analytical organization MercerHuman (USA) took the trouble to study the situation and identified the dirtiest cities in the world. For this, ecologists established criteria by which a number of indicators of the settlement’s environment were assessed:

• remoteness of the settlement from the source of pollution;
• Population;
• the impact of adverse factors on the child’s body;
• the level of heavy metals and other pollutants in soil, water and air; The following are recognized as particularly dangerous: lead, mercury, copper, zinc, sulfur dioxide, cadmium, arsenic, selenium, sarin, phosgene, mustard gas, hydrocyanic acid and some others;
• radiation level;
• period of decomposition of harmful substances.

In order to compile a list of the dirtiest cities in the world, points were assigned to the places studied for each item. The total indicator was assessed using a specially developed scale. Based on the results of the study using the comparison method, we compiled this list, consisting of 35 cities located in different parts of our planet.

TOP 10 dirtiest cities in the world

If we simply list the cities that are most heavily polluted, the list will look like this:

1. Linfen, China.
2. Tianying, China.
3. Sukinda, India.
4. Vapi, India.
5. La Oroya, Peru.
6. Dzerzhinsk, Russia.
7. Norilsk, Russia.
8. Chernobyl, Ukraine.
9. Sumgayit, Azerbaijan.
10. Kabwe, Zambia.

Full list

These 10 dirtiest cities in the world should be complemented by the following settlements, the level of environmental tension in which is extremely high:

• Bayos de Haina, Dominican Republic.
• Mailu-Suu, Kyrgyzstan.
• Ranipet, India.
• Rudnaya Pristan, Russia.
• Dalnegorsk, Russia.
• Volgograd, Russia.
• Magnitogorsk, Russia.
• Karachay, Russia.

The complete top of the dirtiest cities in the world consists of 35 places. Of these, 8 belong to Russia, 6 to India, followed by the Philippines, the United States, China, Romania and other countries.

To be able to analyze the situation, these cities should be examined in detail.

Linfen, China

This is the dirtiest city in the world. Moreover, the conclusion made by the American organization MercerHuman is confirmed by the results of a study by the Blacksmith Institute and other organizations concerned about the state of the environment on Earth.

Linfen is the center of the Chinese coal mining industry. Its population exceeds 200 thousand people. Deposits of black fuel are extracted from the bowels of the earth not only by state mines, but also illegally, without observing safety standards. Because of this, coal dust completely enveloped the dirtiest city in the world. It is on clothes, on skin, and on houses, dusting windows and roofs. Residents of the city don’t even hang their bed linen outside to dry, because after a while it turns black...

In addition, everything here is saturated with carbon, lead and organic chemicals. This unfavorable situation has led to a progressive increase in bronchopulmonary diseases - bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma, and lung cancer.

Cleanup work is not being carried out in the city, although the situation has long become critical.

Tianying, China

The largest metallurgical center of China continues the ranking of the dirtiest cities in the world. Large-scale lead mining operations have been launched in the vicinity of Tianying. The bluish smoke that has enveloped the city makes it difficult to see anything at a distance of ten meters! Everything around is saturated with lead - soil, water and air. Wheat grown in fields near the city contains 24 times the maximum permissible level of this heavy metal. A lot of mentally retarded children are born here.

No work is being done to clean up lead from the area.

Sukinda, India

An open-pit chromium mine has been developed near the Indian city of Sukinda. This metal is widely used in various manufacturing industries. At the same time, it is a strong carcinogen and poisons the body, causing cancer and gene mutations.

Total contamination with chromium has a very bad effect on the health of the population of Sukinda. But the state is not taking any measures to reduce the level of the chemical element in water and soil.

Vapi, India

The town of Vapi in India with a population of 71 thousand people confidently continues the list of “The dirtiest cities in the world.” It is located near an industrial zone where many chemical factories and metallurgical plants have been built. Manufacturing facilities release tons of harmful chemicals into the environment around the clock. This has led to the fact that the mercury content in soil and water is 100 times higher than the norm! This is literally killing local residents, whose average life expectancy is very low - only 35-40 years.

La Oroya, Peru

A small town with a population of 35 thousand people has been suffering from periodic toxic emissions from a local plant since 1922. The emissions contain concentrated doses of lead, zinc, copper and sulfur dioxide. This area is dry and lifeless because all the vegetation has died due to acid rain. The lead content in the blood of local residents far exceeds the critical level, which leads to serious illnesses.

La Oroya, like other dirtiest cities in the world, does not bother the country's authorities, who do not pay any attention to the environment or the health of local residents.

Dzerzhinsk, Russia

According to many experts, Dzerzhinsk, with a population of 300 thousand people, should top the list called “The dirtiest cities in the world.” It was here that, from 1938 to 1998, 300 thousand tons of deadly chemicals were buried, amounting to 1 ton for each resident. The level of dioxides and phenol in groundwater and soil exceeds the upper limit of normal by 17 million (!) times! Dzerzhinsk has a record high mortality rate: for every 10 newborns there are 26 dead. The city would have died out long ago if it had not been filled with newcomers, who are lured by high salaries in hazardous industries.

In 2003, Dzerzhinsk was included in the Guinness Book of Records with the title of the dirtiest city in the world.

Cleanup work is at the planning stage.

Norilsk, Russia

It is called a branch of ecological hell. A giant metallurgical plant, one of the largest on the planet, has been operating here for many decades. Every year it emits 4 million tons of harmful chemicals into the atmosphere, consisting of zinc, copper, cadmium, nickel, selenium, lead and arsenic. The vegetation here is destroyed, there are practically no insects, and black snow falls in winter. The city with a population of 180 thousand people is closed to foreigners.

Cleanup work has been ongoing for the last 10 years. During this period, it was possible to improve the environmental situation somewhat, but the reduced concentrations of harmful substances still greatly exceed the level safe for health.

Chernobyl, Ukraine

A nuclear power plant exploded in the city. This tragedy happened on April 26, 1986. The nuclear accident is recognized as the worst in the history of the planet. A radioactive cloud of plutonium, uranium, strontium, iodine and heavy metals enveloped an area of ​​more than 150 thousand square meters. km. All city residents were evacuated. Chernobyl is still empty. In the exclusion zone, the level of radiation is deadly. The most common disease in people exposed to radiation as a result of a nuclear explosion is thyroid cancer.

Sumgayit, Azerbaijan

During Soviet times, Sumgayit was the center of the chemical industry. Over the entire period of operation, more than 120 thousand tons of toxic waste, mainly mercury and petroleum products, were released into the external environment. As a result, the city of 285 thousand turned into a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

Today, most plants and factories are closed, but no one is carrying out serious disinfection work, leaving nature to clean itself. Sumgayit is still one of the most uninhabitable places on the planet.

Kabwe, Zambia

Near the African city of Kabwe with a population of 250 thousand people, lead deposits were discovered more than 100 years ago. Since then, its mining has been carried out here continuously. Numerous lead mines release hazardous waste into the air, soil and water. The high concentration of lead in the blood of Aboriginal people leads to a huge number of severe poisonings.

Cleaning work is under development.

Bayos de Haina, Dominican Republic

In this town with a population of 85 thousand, a large plant for the production of car batteries was built. His activities caused severe lead contamination of the environment. The indicators are four thousand times higher than normal! This is incompatible with life.

Mental disorders and congenital deformities are widespread among local residents.

No cleaning work is being carried out.

Mailu-Suu, Kyrgyzstan

Uranium mining took place here from 1948 to 1968. Despite the cessation of mining operations, the situation in the city and its environs is critical. Great danger is posed by burial grounds, which are destroyed by landslides, earthquakes and mudflows. Scientists warned that radioactive substances should not be buried in a seismically active zone. Radiation background in areas of destruction it exceeds the permissible norm by almost 10 times!

The United States is dealing with this problem. The work is financed by the World Bank and the International Development Association Bank.

General conclusions

The dirtiest cities in the world, photos of which indicate a very difficult environmental situation, pose a potential danger to the whole world. The water cycle in nature, soil migration, and air cyclones transport hazardous substances over long distances in all directions, infecting other areas.

Experts estimate that more than a billion people on the planet are exposed to the harmful effects of hazardous chemicals. This raises the problem to the global level and requires a prompt solution.