Asia has the world’s most polluted cities

BANGKOK- Mongolia’s image to travellers is generally all about unspoilt wild  landscapes with little pollution. But according to data released by the UN Agency World Health Organization, Ulan Baatar is the most polluted cities on earth. Measuring air quality by annual mean concentration of fine particulate matters of PM10 (particles of 10 microns or less per cubic meter), PM10 in Ulan Bataar’s atmosphere reaches 279 micrograms per cubic meter of air (ug/m3). A horrendous number to be compared with 10 ug/m3 in Canberra. The Australian capital is then Asia-Pacific least polluted city. Ulan Baatar does even poorly compared to the 81 ug/m3 recorded in Shanghai, China or the average 50 for Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur…

Pollution in Ulan Baatar is due to the city’s lcoation at 1,300 meters above sea level. It turns the metropolis into the world’s coldest national capital, with an average annual temperature of -1.3°C (29.7°F). According to WHO, given its almost neverending winters, the coal combustion for cooking and heating is prevalent and a leading cause of air pollution – outdoor and indoor. Back to December 2010, a law on fees for air pollution has been adopted which foresees to tax private person or an organization that pollutes the air. The collected funds are to support a conservation fund. Scientists are now working with the Millennium Challenge Corp. (MCC), a U.S. foreign aid agency, to improve air quality in the capital city by lowering emissions from outdated stoves and boilers.  New stoves and boilers using “green” technology will progressively replace old units.

But Mongolia is not the only one: the Indian sub-continent is also home to some of the world’s most polluted cities. Ludhiana in India and Quetta in Pakistan fight for the title of Asia Pacific second most polluted city. From Asia’s twelve most polluted cities, India and Pakistan top 11 times the ranking, Ulan Baatar excepted! New Delhi flirts with 200 ug/m2 while the world’s famous tourist city of Agra is also world’s famous for its pollution index at 165 ug/m2! No wonder that experts believe that the Taj Mahal’s erosion is due to pollution in the city.

Heavy pollution in Chinese cities have also hit the news over the last few years with the skies of Beijing being completed blanketed by smog due to pollution. UK magazine “the Economist” reports in its last issue that smog was so thick during the first week-end of 2013 in Beijing that “air-quality readings from a monitor on the roof of the American Embassy said simply: Beyond Index”. US Embassy in Beijing uses the US Environmental Protection Agency’s air-quality index (AQI), which measures PM 2.5 (particulate matter of 2.5 microns across or less per cubic metre). Facing the public discontent, Beijing municipal administration is now publishing data on PM 2.5 (particles of 2.5 microns or less). However, China’s most polluted city according to WHO remains Lanzhou in the north-western province of Gansu with a concentration of 150 ug /m3 in the air.

According to the Economist, better data are due to be released from 2013, as China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection announced that 74 cities were now to monitor and report levels of multiple pollutants, including PM 2.5, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and ozone.

South Korean cities are also among the most polluted in Northeast Asia with Seoul or Pusan standing at over 60 ug/m3 of PM10, three times as much than neighbouring Tokyo or Osaka… Despite efficient air cleaning measures and environment protection laws, lots remain obviously to be done in South Korean capital, Seoul…

While Southeast Asia seems to perform better, some cities continue to show high levels of pollution. Medan concentration of PM10 stands at 111, making North Sumatra’s capital the most polluted in Indonesia and in Southeast Asia. It is closely followed by Yangon in Myanmar with a particles’ concentration of 96 ug/m3. Mandalay in Myanmar, Surabaya in Indonesia, Shah Alam and Johor Bahru in Malaysia as well as Saraburi, Bangkok and Ayutthaya are among the most polluted cities in the region. Even Jakarta and Manila performs better than the Thai’s capital despite being chocked by heavy car fumes most of the time of the year.

The biggest consolation for most NTOs looking at those data is that the worst polluted cities are generally totally unknown from travellers or little visited!

Table: Indices of PM10 particles in the air for selected Asia Pacific cities
(Source: WHO- years vary according to country) 

Luc Citrinot

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Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.

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