List of the most polluted cities in Russia. The most polluted cities in the world List of the most polluted cities in the world

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

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

The journalists of the American magazine took as a basis the report for 2007 of the consulting company Mercer Human Resource Consulting, which describes the ecological situation of the 215 most cities in the world. All cities were compared with New York, whose scores were taken as 100.

The indicators of the dirtiest city in the world Baku are 27.6. In many ways, according to the consulting company's analysts, this is due to the presence of many oil producing 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 in New York, Richard Fuller, “In cities with very dirty air, all environmentally hazardous enterprises should be immediately closed. It can really help restore the environment.

Alma-Ata (Kazakhstan) is nine points behind Baku with a pollution level of 39.1.

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

Again, the fact that Moscow's neighbors in the rating are the capitals of far from the most developed countries in the world leads to sad thoughts...

Oddly enough, but not only people suffer from pollution, but also the economy. Spending on health care and reduced productivity is hitting businesses hard, says Slagin Parakatil, senior researcher at Mercer Human Resource Consulting. He calculates that a dollar invested in protecting the environment generates an average return of $9 by reducing spending on health care for workers and increasing their productivity.

“In sociology, there is such a pattern - 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

Canadian Calgary 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. Alma-Aty, 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.

Progress gives the world innovative technologies. Opportunities and objects are constantly appearing that make life more convenient and dynamic. But there is a downside, a negative side - the most polluted cities in the world. Increasing the extraction of raw materials, increasing the scale of production and reducing its cost is detrimental to the environment. The ratings announced in this article will tell you where it is dangerous to live on earth.

Pollution Assessment Criteria

WHO, UNESCO are engaged in statistics of unfavorable ecology on the territory of the planet.

For this, the following criteria are used:

• the percentage of hazardous substances in the air, as well as in water and soil, among the most hazardous to health, such as mercury, arsenic, lead, hydrocyanic acid, mustard gas and phosgene;
• the duration of the decay period of toxic substances;
• number of population and births;
• the proximity of the city to the source of pollution;
• level of radioactive contamination;
• the impact of industrial emissions on the development of children.

Based on these factors, a rating of the most polluted places on the planet was compiled. The study of populated objects was carried out for each category. And then, according to a scale specially developed for this statistics, total indicators were determined.

Top 10 most environmentally polluted places on the planet

According to statistics from the analytical company MerserHuman from the USA, the list of the 10 most polluted cities in the world looks like this:

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

Settlements with a high level of environmental hazard:

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

The most environmentally polluted city in the world - Linfen

The population is 200,000 people. Leading in the world in all criteria of environmental pollution. This is the center of the coal mining industry, where, in addition to state, private and illegal mines operate.

Safety standards are ignored, which leads to a supersaturation of the air in the city and its environs with coal dust, organic chemicals, lead and carbon. The result of exposure to these substances is the progression of bronchopulmonary diseases - pneumonia, asthma, bronchitis, malignant tumors.

Other polluted cities in the world

It will be interesting to get acquainted with the settlements, which have been awarded the title of the most polluted places on the planet.

Tianying

It is called the heart of China's metallurgy. On the territory of the city there are many large industrial enterprises that emit dust, gas and heavy metal oxides into the atmosphere. Large-scale lead mining operations are carried out in the vicinity. Due to the thick gray smoke, there is no visibility at a distance of 10 meters. Soil, air and water are impregnated with lead fumes. Vegetables and signs grown in the surrounding areas contain 20 times more lead than normal. Such a critical situation leads to the development of brain pathologies. A large number of children with symptoms of dementia are born in the region.

There are chromium mines near Sukinda. This metal, widespread in production, is recognized as one of the most dangerous carcinogens. It has an extremely adverse effect on local residents, provoking gene mutations and rapidly progressing oncological diseases.

The Government of India does not take effective measures to reduce the concentration of chromium in water and soil. Treatment facilities in this region are under development.

vapi

A heavily polluted city in India is Vapi, which has a population of 71,000. Its proximity to a large industrial zone makes it life-threatening. There are many factories and plants for chemical and metallurgical purposes in the vicinity, emitting tons of harmful substances into the atmosphere. The main one is mercury, the content of which in the soil exceeded the figure by 100 times. The current situation has become fatal for the inhabitants of the region.

The average life expectancy here is only 35-40 years.

La Oroya

A polymetallic plant has been operating in the Peruvian town of La Oroya since 1922. Its intermittent emissions contain high concentrations of lead, sulfur dioxide, copper and zinc. This has caused serious illness among the local residents, whose number is 35,000.

The fallout of acid rain has led to the fact that the entire area has become dry and lifeless, devoid of vegetation. In 2009, the government of Peru was proposed a plan for a radical reconstruction of enterprises with the suspension of production for five years.

Russian Dzerzhinsk with a population of 300,000 in 2003 was included in the Guinness Book of Records. Received the title of the dirtiest city in the world. The cause of the critical situation was the disposal of chemicals, which lasted from 1938 to 1998. The total volume of deadly substances amounted to 300,000 tons, that is, one ton per inhabitant.

Soil and groundwater contain critical levels of phenol, 17 million times the upper limit of normal. At the moment, cleaning work in Dzerzhinsk is at the planning stage.

Norilsk

The population of this Russian city is 180 people. It is closed to foreigners. One of the largest metallurgical plants on the planet has been operating in Norilsk for several decades. Each year, up to 4 million tons of chemicals are released into the environment, including lead, arsenic, copper, selenium and zinc. In view of this, there is almost no vegetation and insects here.

Cleaning works have been carried out in Norilsk for 10 years. The ecological situation is gradually on the mend, however, the safe level of concentration of chemicals still exceeds the norm.

On April 26, 1986, the world's worst nuclear tragedy occurred in the Ukrainian city of Chernobyl - the explosion of a nuclear power plant. All residents were evacuated. Territory over 150,000 sq. m. was under the influence of a radioactive cloud, consisting of the evaporation of heavy metals, uranium, pluton, iodine and strontium.

The radiation level in the exclusion zone carries a mortal danger. This area is empty to this day.

Sumgayit

Under the Soviet Union, Azerbaijani Sumgayit occupied a central place in the chemical industry. Due to the constant emissions of mercury and oil products, the city of 285,000 people has become almost uninhabitable.

Kabwe

Large deposits of lead were discovered near the Zambian city of Kabwe more than a century ago. Since then, this mineral has been actively mined. The local population is 250,000 people. From the territories of lead mines, hazardous waste is constantly spreading into the air, soil and groundwater. This causes pathologies of internal organs, muscle atrophy and severe blood poisoning.

Baios de Haina

It is a small city in the Dominican Republic with a population of 85,000 people. The danger to health and life here is represented by a plant specializing in the production of car batteries. Lead emissions into the atmosphere are four times higher than the standard. The consequence of this are congenital mutations and mental disorders.

Mailu-Suu

In Mailu-Suu, located in Kyrgyzstan, during 1948-1968. mined uranium. Today, the level of radiation is 10 times higher than the normative indicators. The reason for the critical situation in the city and its environs are burial grounds with dangerous substances. Contrary to the warnings of scientists, they were built in areas of increased seismological danger. Due to earthquakes and landslides, burials are destroyed. The United States of America is involved in solving this problem. Work is underway.

The polluted cities considered in the article pose an environmental threat to the entire planet. Toxic components are spread due to air cyclones, soil migration and the natural water cycle. The problem requires an urgent solution at the global level.

Last week, the Ministry of Natural Resources in the state report "On Environmental Protection" named the cities of Russia with the dirtiest air. Krasnoyarsk, Magnitogorsk and Norilsk turned out to be the most dangerous cities for living. In total, there are 15 most polluted territories in Russia, which, according to environmentalists, are the most unfavorable in terms of, first of all, atmospheric air and waste accumulation.

The black list of the dirtiest cities included Norilsk, Lipetsk, Cherepovets, Novokuznetsk, Nizhny Tagil, Magnitogorsk, Krasnoyarsk, Omsk, Chelyabinsk, Bratsk, Novocherkassk, Chita, Dzerzhinsk, Mednogorsk and Asbest.

Krasnoyarsk called "a zone of ecological disaster"

Alas, today Krasnoyarsk residents are literally suffocating in emissions. The reason for this is the active work of industrial facilities, factories and vehicles.

Krasnoyarsk, being the center of the East Siberian economic region, is one of the major industrial and transport cities, its ecological situation is in an extremely tense state. Over the past year, the ecology of this million-plus city has deteriorated even more. Within the framework of the special project “Practical Ecology”, an analysis of the ecological situation was carried out in this Siberian city.

The study of pollution was carried out using air sampling. If in 2014 only 0.7% of these samples had an excess, then in 2017 this figure increased to 2.1% - that is, 3 times. Sounds scary. The same report, by the way, also speaks of an increase in the number of cancer patients in the city by about 2.5% per year. And by the end of 2017, this number may reach 373 patients per 100,000 inhabitants.

Magnitogorsk, the most environmentally unfavorable city in the Urals

The unfavorable state of the atmospheric air in the city is determined by the emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere, the main source of which, of course, is OJSC Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works. The city of Magnitogorsk, whose city-forming enterprise has become an industrial giant, is constantly included in the priority list of cities in the Russian Federation with the highest level of air pollution in terms of benzapyrene, nitrogen dioxide, carbon disulfide, and phenol.

Norilsk: ecological crisis in conditions of extreme cold

This city, which was built by Gulag prisoners in the 1930s, can be called a place for extreme sports. Norilsk, with a population of over 100,000, is located in the freezing Siberian Arctic. The maximum temperature in summer can reach 32 °C, and the minimum in winter can be below -50 °C. The city, whose economic basis is the mining industry, is completely dependent on imported food. The main industry is the extraction of precious metals. And it is precisely because of metal mining that Norilsk has become one of the most polluted cities in Russia.

Norilsk continues to be one of the three most polluted Russian cities, even despite the fact that after the closure of the Nickel Plant in June 2016, harmful emissions into the atmosphere were reduced by a third. This facility, located in the historic center, was Nornickel's oldest asset and accounted for 25% of the region's total pollution. The enterprise annually emitted about 400,000 tons of sulfur dioxide into the air. This made Norilsk the main polluter in the Arctic and one of the ten dirtiest cities on the planet according to Greenpeace.

Lipetsk

Ecology in Lipetsk leaves much to be desired. A significant part of the residential development is located on the right bank of the Voronezh River, while the building of the metallurgical plant is on the gently sloping left bank. Due to the wind rose with a predominance of northeasterly winds, some areas of the city are experiencing discomfort.

According to official data, more than 350,000 tons of pollutants enter the atmosphere every year. This is more than 700 kilograms per capita. The highest excess is observed for heavy metals, dioxins, benzapyrene and phenol. The main source of pollution is the Novolipetsk Iron and Steel Works.

Cherepovets

Cherepovets is a city with a developed industrial production, which, of course, directly affects the ecological situation. Moreover, here it is impossible to single out an area that would be relatively free from industrial pollution - absolutely all areas feel the influence of industrial zones.

Residents of the city often feel the unpleasant smell of industrial emissions, more often than others they clean their windows from black plaque and observe multi-colored smoke that comes out of the chimneys of factories every day. In spring and autumn, the ecological situation in the city deteriorates somewhat, which is associated with weather conditions that reduce the dispersion of harmful components, which contributes to their accumulation in the atmosphere.

Novokuznetsk

This is another industrial Russian city, in the center of which there is a metallurgical plant. It is not surprising that the ecological situation here is characterized as unfavorable: air pollution is especially serious. There are 145,000 vehicles registered in the city, the gross emissions of which amounted to 76.5 thousand tons.

Nizhny Tagil

Nizhny Tagil has long been on the list of cities with the most polluted air. The maximum allowable value of benzapyrene in the atmosphere of the city was exceeded 13 times.

Omsk

In the past, the abundance of enterprises led to numerous emissions into the atmosphere. Now 58% of air pollution in the city is accounted for by motor vehicles. In addition to urban air pollution, the deplorable state of water in the Om and Irtysh rivers adds to the environmental problems in Omsk.

Chelyabinsk

In industrial Chelyabinsk, a fairly high level of air pollution is recorded. But this situation is further complicated by the fact that a third of the year in the city is calm. In hot weather, smog can be observed over Chelyabinsk, which is the result of the activities of the electrode plant, the Chelyabinsk State District Power Plant, the ChEMK and several Chelyabinsk thermal power plants. Power plants account for about 20% of all recorded emissions.

Dzerzhinsk

The real threat to the ecology of the city are deep burials of waste from hazardous industries and a sludge lake (nicknamed the "white sea") with waste from chemical production.

Bratsk

The main sources of air pollution in the city are the Bratsk aluminum plant, the ferroalloy plant, the thermal power plant and the Bratsk timber industry complex. In addition, every spring and summer there are regular forest fires that last from two weeks to four months.

Chita

For three years in a row, this city has been included in the anti-rating. The regional center ranks second in the country after Vladivostok in terms of the number of cars per capita, which is one of the sources of air pollution within the city. In addition, there is the problem of urban water pollution.

Mednogorsk

The main environmental pollutant is the Mednogorsk copper-sulfur plant, which releases a large amount of sulfur dioxide into the air, which forms sulfuric acid when it settles above the soil.

Novocherkassk

The air of Novocherkassk is the dirtiest in the region: every year the city consistently enters the list of places with the most polluted atmosphere. Night emissions are not uncommon here, often the wind from the industrial zone blows to the residential area.

Asbestos

The city of Asbest produces 25% of the world's chrysotile asbestos. Known for its heat resistance and carcinogenic properties, this fibrous mineral is banned in most European countries. Around the clock, in a giant 12 km long quarry in Asbest, “stone flax” is mined for the production of asbestos-cement pipes, insulation and building materials, half of which is exported to 50 countries. Local residents do not believe in the harm of asbestos.

At the beginning of July 2013, Rosstat issued a bulletin called "Key Indicators of Environmental Protection". Among other information that related to the state of the environment and ecology in the country, there was presented comprehensive information about the most polluted cities in Russia, which concerned air pollution with harmful substances from car and industrial emissions.

According to these data, a list of the most environmentally polluted cities in Russia was created. But this rating, according to some experts, does not reflect the real picture of pollution, since the main criterion in its compilation was the total amount of emissions into the atmosphere, and not their chemical composition.

How are things in the capital?

That is why Moscow is on the list in second place, although about half of the harmful substances emitted into the air of the city is nitrogen dioxide. But Krasnoyarsk took only 11th place in the ranking, although about 80% of all harmful emissions here are sulfur dioxide, which is almost twice as toxic as nitrogen dioxide.

Nevertheless, information on pollution is presented quite fully and extensively. On our website, we have already devoted several articles to the topic.

After all, it is this component that plays an increasingly important role every day when choosing a place of residence for a person. When moving, each person is faced with the question of the appropriateness of acquiring an apartment in this house (district, city). Once again, this pollution rating of Russian cities will help you weigh the pros and cons when buying a new building.

List of the most polluted cities in Russia

1. Norilsk

During the year, 1.959 million tons of harmful substances are emitted into the atmosphere here. Only 0.5% of this amount is emissions from cars, and the rest is factories, the lion's share of which is made up of enterprises of the Norilsk Nickel group of companies.

For example, the content of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere of the city exceeds the maximum allowable rate by about 30 times, nitrogen dioxide - by 24 times, and formaldehyde - by almost 100 times. But thanks to environmental safety measures, compared to 2011, pollution was reduced by 1.4%.

2. Moscow

In contrast to Norilsk, cars produce the bulk of emissions here - they account for 92.8%. Cars produce the most pollution while stuck in traffic jams.

It is estimated that for an hour of standing in traffic jams, one car emits more than 30 kg of mixtures of various gases into the air: nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde, sulfur dioxide, etc.

3. St. Petersburg

Here, the situation is similar to that in the capital - too many cars and improper organization of traffic lead to the fact that 92.8% of the total amount of emissions - which is 488.2 thousand tons, falls precisely on car exhaust gases.

4. Cherepovets

More than half of the 364.5 thousand tons of pollution comes from industrial enterprises, especially the large metallurgical plant Severstal.

5. Asbestos

In this city, located in the Sverdlovsk region, 98.6% of pollution is produced by asbestos mining and asbestos processing industries. The total amount of emissions is 330.4 thousand tons.

6. Lipetsk

The total amount of emissions is 322.9 thousand tons, 91.3% of which are stationary sources. The main "producer" of pollution in the city is the Novolipetsk Iron and Steel Works.

7. Novokuznetsk

The total amount of annual emissions is 321,000 tons, of which 90.8% are energy and industrial facilities.

8. Omsk

In Omsk, 291.6 thousand tons of harmful substances enter the atmosphere per year, and 71.7% of these emissions are produced by enterprises and stationary sources.

9. Angarsk

Of the 278.6 thousand tons of emissions per year, 95.4% are from stationary sources and facilities.

10. Magnitogorsk

The value of the annual emission of harmful substances here is 255.7 thousand tons. 89.9% of emissions are produced by the Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works and other stationary sources.

11. Krasnoyarsk

Despite the developed industry, only 62.6% of emissions in the city come from stationary objects - the rest is cars. The annual amount of emissions into the atmosphere is 233.8 thousand tons.

12. Chelyabinsk

In Chelyabinsk, the situation is similar - out of 233.4 thousand tons, industrial facilities account for only 62.8%.

13. Ufa

The amount of emissions per year is 205.5 thousand tons, the share of stationary sources is 65.4%.

14. Yekaterinburg

203.5 thousand tons. Stationary sources produce only 16.1% of harmful substances, the rest is car exhaust gases.

15. Vorkuta

City enterprises and cars produce 197.3 thousand tons of harmful substances per year, of which only 2.1% is accounted for by transport.

16. Nizhny Tagil

The number of emissions per year is 149 thousand tons. 85.2% of emissions are produced by metallurgical and other industrial enterprises.

A few days ago the capital India enveloped in impenetrable smog. The level of air pollution exceeded the norm by 70 times. This situation was provoked by weather conditions: high humidity, strong winds and fires around the city. Himself Delhi has long been recognized as an ecological disaster zone. What other cities are considered the most polluted in the world - further in the review.

1. Delhi (India)

2. Linfen (China)

3. Dzerzhinsk (Russia)

4. Hazaribagh, Bangladesh

5. Cairo, Egypt

Fortunately, not all megacities reach a critical point and become areas of ecological disaster. These are confirmation that all is not lost.