WHO report about air quality which examined PM 2.5 (fine particulate pollution) and PM 10 (coarse pollution particles) levels in 3000 cities across the globe, found that five Nigerian cities have been included in the top ten polluted cities in Africa.
The report which says that 80% of city dwellers are breathing in bad air and are at a risk of life-threatening diseases like lung cancer, added that the air pollution is rising at an alarming rate in urban areas of poor countries.
While the report places Onitsha in Nigeria as the most polluted city and Sinclair in US as the least polluted, here are the 39 most polluted cities in Africa.
Here is the List :
39. Midlands – Mauritius
38. Port Louis – Mauritius
37. Middleburg – South Africa
36. Witbank – South Africa
35. Nairobi – Kenya
34. Ermelo – South Africa
33. Morogoro Unit. – Rep. of Tanzania
32. Bramsthan, Flacq – Mauritius
31. Waterberg – South Africa
30. Diepkloof – South Africa
29. Sebokeng – South Africa
28. Orlu – Nigeria
27. Sanniquellie (rural) – Liberia
26. Sekunda – South Africa
25. Zamdela – South Africa
24. Nnewi – Nigeria
23. Vereeniging – South Africa
22. Antanarivo – Madagascar
21. Mpumalanga – South Africa
20. Tshwane [Pretoria] – South Africa
19. Yaoudé – Cameroon
18. Buchanan (rural) – Liberia
17. Afikpo – Nigeria
16. Johannesburg – South Africa
15. Abakaliki – Nigeria
14. Ile-Ife – Nigeria
13. Bafoussam – Cameroon
12. Enugu – Nigeria
11. Nsukka – Nigeria
10. Hartebeespoort – South Africa
9. Beau Bassin/Rose Hill, Coromandel – Mauritius
8. Bamenda – Cameroon
7. Dakar – Senegal
6. Owerri – Nigeria
5. Kampala – Uganda
4. Umuahia – Nigeria
3. Aba – Nigeria
2. Kaduna – Nigeria
1. Onitsha – Nigeria
All hail the Onitsha people !