Onitsha, Anambra state Nigeria was in 2016 ranked the worst city in the world for the staggering levels of PM10 particulate matter in its air.
Okpoko market, Onitsha

Okpoko market, Onitsha

Onitsha’s mean annual concentration was recorded at 594 micrograms per cubic metre by the World Health Organization – massively exceeding the WHO’s annual guideline limit for PM10s of 20μg/m3.

This means that Onitsha is the most polluted city in the world, but the people living in it do not even know it.

According to a report by The Guardian, sources of the pollution include dust storms, gases emitted by vehicles, all types of combustion, and industrial activities such as cement manufacturing, construction, mining and smelting.

Other rapidly growing Nigerian cities such as Kaduna, Aba and Umuahia, are featured in the WHO’s 20 worst offenders for PM10s, worst polluted cities.

Many of the people who live in Onitsha do not think it is a major problem, however, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), around 600,000 deaths throughout Africa every year are associated with air pollution, while in October 2016 report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) suggested that polluted air could be killing 712,000 people prematurely every year across the continent.

READ ALSO: See The Level Of Pollution In Nigeria

These are what some people had to say about the pollution:

One female traffic warden has been working around Okpoko market for two days when asked how copes with the dust, said: “I am just doing my job, dust does not kill people.”

A businessman in the neighbourhood of Nwangene, Ikechukwu Obizue, says residents cannot do much:

“Onitsha is quite dirty, but the government is not doing anything about it. We do environmental sanitation monthly, but then the city returns to being dirty.

“It is the government’s responsibility to keep the city clean, not the work of the residents – people in this city are too busy hustling to make an income.”

At one of the few state-approved dump sites on Creek Road, a man, Ikechuckwu who works at a smelting workshop.

The man who has been smelting iron for about 5 years said: “I know how to take care of myself,” he brags. “I am not wearing a nose mask because I don’t need it. I take medicine to cater for my health.

“The major problem is that we don’t take air pollution seriously in Nigeria,” says medical practitioner Dr Nelson Aluya.

“As the population increases and we become more industrialised, we ought to have active air-monitoring agencies and a federal environmental protection agency. We say they are there – but are they active?”
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​https://www.naij.com/1088323-see-nigerian-city-worst-air-world.html

Garbage city of Onitsha

Una no dey tire,nawa ooo.
Onitcha will keep on developing and Aba also.

Onitsha dey phucked up

true indeed

OP? cement manufacturing in Onitsha?even dust storms do you actually know what is dust storm..hahahaha. I laugh at your foolishness. this one actually sold you out. next time lie with research.

modified : the picture above is fegge by St Jude ,off upper iweka, the place is just a refuse dump from fruit sellers.

Another fake news site

Thank God onitsha has recognised as a city in the world, the next step is to provide a cleaner environment. Kudos to the East investors. We will get there without federal government help .

There places in lagos far worse than those dirty places

kettykin:
Thank God onitsha has recognised as a city in the world, the next step is to provide a cleaner environment. Kudos to the East investors. We will get there without federal government help .

There places in lagos far worse than those dirty places

you started well with your assertion but turned it into tribal bigotry, social media is the only tool we have right now as the masses,leave tribalism as side and join hands in condemning why one of the biggest west African market is in such shambles and see whether the authorities will not do something about it for us all to be proud of,its getting very disgusting how you guys tribalise and politicize everything to the detriment of our collective benefit as a nation... Tufiakwa!!!

...heeeiii! this is the third world city!

kuuljay:
you started well with your assertion but turned it into tribal bigotry, social media is the only tool we have right now as the masses,leave tribalism as side and join hands in condemning why one of the biggest west African market is in such shambles and see whether the authorities will not do something about it for us all to be proud of,its getting very disgusting how you guys tribalise and politicize everything to the detriment of our collective benefit as a nation... Tufiakwa!!!

which shambles are you talking about?? even the picture he posted shows refuse dump outside the city being burnt, the research is about air pollution, if its about slums, Onitsha is the least affected

oyinkinola:
...heeeiii! this is the third world city!

This list includes Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a city far better than any city in Nigeria or Africa

These cities are mostly located in rapidly growing economies in the Middle East and South East Asia. Four of the 20 urban areas with the worst air quality at the time of measurement were in Nigeria, three were in Saudi Arabia, three were in India, and two in Iran.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/05/which-are-the-world-s-most-polluted-cities/

CNN captioned it: Dirtied by success? Nigeria is home to city with worst PM10 levels - CNN

Which are the world’s most polluted cities?

Most large cities in the developing world are breaching global air pollution guidelines, according to new data from the World Health Organization.

Air pollution has risen by 8% globally in the past five years, with the WHO estimating that it causes 3 million premature deaths a year, making it one of the greatest environmental risks to human health.

The latest urban air quality data, collected between 2011 and 2015, reveals that 98% of cities with over 100,000 inhabitants in low- and middle-income countries do not meet WHO air quality guidelines.

So which cities have the worst air quality?

Of the 3,000 cities in the WHO’s air quality database, the most polluted at the time of measurement was Onitsha, a fast-growing city in Nigeria, which recorded roughly 30 times more than the WHO’s recommended levels of PM10 particles. Peshawar in Pakistan was in second place, followed by Zabol in Iran.




These cities are mostly located in rapidly growing economies in the Middle East and South East Asia. Four of the 20 urban areas with the worst air quality at the time of measurement were in Nigeria, three were in Saudi Arabia, three were in India, and two in Iran.

China, which has been working to tackle its air pollution problem, is the only country with just one city on the most polluted list.

The Eastern Mediterranean (covering the Middle East and parts of North Africa) and South East Asia were the regions that performed worst overall in the database – with urban air pollution rising 5% in more than two-thirds of cities. Annual mean levels of air pollution in cities in these regions often exceeded five to 10 times WHO limits.

Among mega-cities (urban areas with over 14 million inhabitants) Delhi and Cairo had the highest levels of urban air pollution.



The report urges policy-makers at international, national and city level to promote cleaner transport, more efficient energy production and waste management.

Despite the bad news, the data also revealed that more than half of the monitored cities in high-income countries and more than one-third in low and middle-income countries reduced their air pollution levels by more than 5% in five years.

Commenting on the data, Dr Maria Neira, Director of the WHO’s Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health, said: “Urban air pollution continues to rise at an alarming rate, wreaking havoc on human health.

“At the same time, awareness is rising and more cities are monitoring their air quality. When air quality improves, global respiratory and cardiovascular-related illnesses decrease.”

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/05/which-are-the-world-s-most-polluted-cities/

According to the report, Governments are requested to provide and implement an action plan to redress the situation.

It is more than six months since this report was published, yet no Nigeria arm of government is talking or doing anything about it and somehow gullible fellows are here obfuscating the facts of the matter.

Is it because the cities are in Southeast that made Nigerian government to keep mute, even after signing the Paris Climate Protocols and Accords?

Think about it.

Fake News Have different categories - "Misleading Headlines", "Misinterpreted Quotes", "Most Egregious Spin", "Most Dramatic Editing of Audio or Video to Reverse Its True Meaning", "Most Hidden Story on a Back Page", "Most Important Story to Be Completely Ignored", and of course, the big finale, to be presented by bigoted outsider, "Most Outragious Lie"

Hey, this is so good, I'm going to send it to Channels!

MadamExcellency:


It list includes Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a city far better than any city in Nigeria or Africa

These cities are mostly located in rapidly growing economies in the Middle East and South East Asia. Four of the 20 urban areas with the worst air quality at the time of measurement were in Nigeria, three were in Saudi Arabia, three were in India, and two in Iran.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/05/which-are-the-world-s-most-polluted-cities/

CNN captioned it: Dirtied by success? Nigeria is home to city with worst PM10 levels - CNN

I mean third world city of Nigeria!

I will take Onitsha over abeokuta any day any time.

basilo102:

which shambles are you talking about?? even the picture he posted shows refuse dump outside the city being burnt, the research is about air pollution, if its about slums, Onitsha is the least affected

OK ,its the least affected,suit yourself

Ibadan is the cleanest city in the world

There are places in Nigeria that will make Okpoko look like a child's play!

MadamExcellency:


Fake News Have different categories - "Misleading Headlines", "Misinterpreted Quotes", "Most Egregious Spin", "Most Dramatic Editing of Audio or Video to Reverse Its True Meaning", "Most Hidden Story on a Back Page", "Most Important Story to Be Completely Ignored", and of course, the big finale, to be presented by bigoted outsider, "Most Outragious Lie"

Hey, this is so good, I'm going to send it to Channels!

@ bolded...So on point...
the news is meant to draw govt's attention to air pollution buh pple find a way to twist d story to badmouth the south east region...it's d newage media tactics and it's fast becoming a norm in news reporting

Na dem dem

And I got to ojota, I thought I was in aba till someone told me I was in Lagos. I ignored.

Going to CmS, from the foot of the bridge, foul smell till I pass through the waters and the swamps therein and I felt like looking for another way out.

Lagos is really neat.
Really.