According to the latest report from the World Health Organisation, the city of Onitsha is the most polluted city in the world.
The report which was published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) states that Onitsha produced pollution “levels of nearly 600 micrograms per cubic metre of PM10s – around 30 times the WHO recommended level of 20 micrograms per cubic metre,” to get the poor rating. Aba, Kaduna and Unuahia are also featured in the top 20 list alongside Onitsha. The data for the report was collected between 2011 and 2015.
Onitsha’s figures are almost twice as bad as notoriously polluted cities such as Kabul, Beijing and Tehran and 30 times worse than London.
“Air pollution has risen by eight percent globally in the past five years,” resulting in three million premature deaths yearly, WHO says.
A recent study of Onitsha’s water pollution found more than 100 petrol stations in the city, often selling low-quality fuel, dozens of unregulated rubbish dumps, major fuel spills and high levels of arsenic, mercury, lead, copper and iron in its water. The city’s many metal industries, private hospitals and workshops were all said to be heavy polluters emitting chemical, hospital and household waste and sewage.
Here is the ranking:
Credits: AFP/Getty Images. WHO