World's Most Polluted Places Revealed

BANGALORE: No doubt the world is witnessing development at a fast pace but pollution remains a grievous issue affecting millions of people all over the globe. As per the World Health Organization, a staggering 1 million people die every year due to pollution and many more are affected.

A report titled, “The Top Ten Toxic Threats: Cleanup, Progress, and Ongoing Challenges,” published by Zurich-based Green Cross Switzerland and New York-based Blacksmith Institute have come out with the name of the places highly affected by pollution. Read on to check the name of such places.

Kalimantan, Indonesia
Major pollutant: Primarily mercury, cadmium
Population affected: 225,000

The Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo, Kalimantan is composed of five provinces. Out of the five provinces, two of those provinces, central and south, Artisanal Small-scale Gold Mining form the primary source of income for 43,000 people.

As such, residents have been poisoned for years from small-scale gold mining. The miners use mercury in their rudimentary smelting process, releasing as much as 1,000 tons of the toxic chemicals into the air each year.

It is even worse for many miners as they get the smell inside their homes too, where the mercury vapors is trapped. The metal can also be released into area waterways, where it can accumulate in fish and water.

As the latest study, concentrations of mercury in the Kahayan River in central Kalimantan are more than twice Indonesia’s recommended standard. Therefore, in recent years, the Indonesian government has taken steps to limit synthetic mercury emissions, working with miners to make their smelting process safer.

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