The
Blacksmith Institute, founded in 1999, is a
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
based organization supporting pollution-related environmental projects. Blacksmith works cooperatively with members of civil society, donors and governments; providing strategic, technical, and financial support to local champions working for the betterment of their communities.
The priority of Blacksmith is to work in locations throughout the developing world where human health is most affected by pollution.
The
Blacksmith Institute, founded in 1999, is a
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
based organization supporting pollution-related environmental projects. Blacksmith works cooperatively with members of civil society, donors and governments; providing strategic, technical, and financial support to local champions working for the betterment of their communities.
The priority of Blacksmith is to work in locations throughout the developing world where human health is most affected by pollution. Its programs involve a multi-step process of: identifying polluted places in the developing world, with nominations received from members of the international community and through the internet; Assessing the health risks at those locations; and designing and implementing a remediation strategy tailored to the specifics of the site in question, using local champions to implement the project in a cooperative fashion.
One project of the Blacksmith Institute is
Polluted Places Initiative, which identifies polluted sites throughout the world by means of an online nomination process.
In 2008 Blacksmith Institute released a joint report with Green Cross Switzerland called
The World's Worst Pollution Problems. The report is available for download at www.worstpolluted.org
http://www.worstpolluted.org.
Top ten world's worst pollution problems
- Artisanal Gold Mining
- Contaminated Surface Water
- Indoor Air Pollution
- Industrial Mining Activities
- Groundwater Contamination
- Metals Smelting and Processing
- Radioactive Waste and Uranium Mining
- Untreated Sewage
- Urban Air Quality
- Used Lead Acid Battery Recycling
Top ten
As of September 2007, the Institute lists the following as the world's ten most polluted places (in alphabetical order by country):
Most polluted places
- Sumqayit
Sumgayit is a city in Azerbaijan, located near the Caspian Sea, about 30 kilometres away from the capital, Baku. The city has a population of 357,900, making it the third-largest city in Azerbaijan. The city has a territory of 83 km². It was founded on November 22, 1949...
, AzerbaijanAzerbaijan , formally the Republic of Azerbaijan , is a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to the south...
- Linfen
Linfen is a prefecture-level city in southern Shanxi province, People's Republic of China. It is situated along the banks of the Fen River. It was known as Pingyang during the Spring and Autumn Period...
, ChinaThe People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...
- Tianying
Tianying Town part of the city Jieshou , which belongs to the prefecture-level city Fuyang, which is in the northwest of Anhui Province. The town has 26,095 inhabitants according to the 2001 census....
, ChinaThe People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...
- Sukinda
Sukinda is a town in Jajpur district, Orissa, India. It has the dubious distinction of being named as one of the ten most-polluted places in the world.-Natural Resources:...
, IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
- Vapi
Vapi is a city and a municipality in Valsad district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is situated on the banks of Damanganga River in southern Gujarat, India...
, IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
- La Oroya
La Oroya is a city of about 33,000 people on the River Mantaro in central Peru. It is situated on the Altiplano some 176 km east-north-east of the national capital, Lima, and is capital of the Yauli Province...
,PeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.Peruvian territory was home to the Norte Chico...
- Dzerzhinsk
Dzerzhinsk is a city in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia, situated along the Oka River, about east of Moscow. Population: The city is named after Feliks Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky, a Russian Bolshevik leader that came to be the first head of the cheka .The city was founded in 1930; the "City Day"...
, RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
- Norilsk
Norilsk is a major city in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located between the Yenisey river and the Taymyr Peninsula. It was granted city status in 1953. It is the northernmost city in Siberia and the world's second largest city above the Arctic Circle. Norilsk with Yakutsk and Vorkuta are the only...
,RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
- Chernobyl
Chornobyl , orChernobyl , is a city in northern Ukraine, in Kiev Oblast , near the border with Belarus. It is twinned with Larne, in Ireland....
,UkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south. The city of Kiev is both the capital and the largest city of...
- Kabwe
Kabwe is the capital of the Zambian Central Province with a population estimated at 210,000. Formerly named Broken Hill, it was founded when the Broken Hill lead and zinc deposits were discovered in 1902...
,ZambiaThe Republic of Zambia is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west. The capital city is...
Also mentioned
- Godwin, Kenya
The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. Lying along the Indian Ocean, at the equator, Kenya is bordered by Ethiopia , Somalia , Tanzania , Uganda plus Lake Victoria , and Sudan . The capital city is Nairobi. Kenya spans an area about 85% the size of France or Texas...
- Matanza-Riachuelo River Basin, Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations, though Mexico,...
- Hazaribagh
Hazaribagh is a city and a municipality in Hazaribagh district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is the divisional headquarters of North Chota Nagpur division.It is famous as a health resort and for Hazaribagh National Park ....
, IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
- DongYangHuaxi, China
China is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
- Lanzhou
Lanzhou is a prefecture-level city and capital of Gansu province in northwestern China.-History:Originally in the territory of the Western Qiang peoples, Lanzhou became part of the territory of Qin in the 6th century BC....
, ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
- Urumqi
Ürümqi or Ürümchi , formerly Dihua, is the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, in the northwest of the country....
, ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
- Wanshan
Wanshan may refer to:*Wanshan Islands, in Guangdong, China*Wanshan Special District, in Guizhou, China...
, ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
- Haina
Bajos de Haina, also known simply as Haina , is a town and municipality in the San Cristóbal , of the Dominican Republic. In 1993 the population was estimated at 68,261, but recent estimates in 2005 claimed the population was as high as 140,175...
, Dominican RepublicThe Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are occupied by two countries...
- Oriente
right|thumb|300px|The seal of the Province of Oriente.Oriente was one of six provinces of Cuba until 1976. It was known as "Santiago de Cuba Province" before 1905. The name is still used to refer to the eastern part of the country. The provincial capital was Santiago de Cuba...
, EcuadorEcuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador , literally, "Republic of the equator") is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America that...
- Mahad Industrial Estate, India
India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
- Ranipet
Ranipet is a locality and part of Vellore city in the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India. It is a medium-sized community located about 26 kilometers from the Vellore city center and 100 kilometers from Chennai, the fourth largest urban area in India. It is a main junction in the...
, IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
- Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a country situated in Eurasia that is ranked as the ninth largest country in the world. It is also the world's largest landlocked country. Its territory of 2,727,300 km² is greater than Western Europe...
- Maluu-Suu, Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a country in Central Asia. Landlocked and mountainous, it is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east....
- Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital city of Mexico. It is the economic, industrial, and cultural center in the country, and the most populous city, with about 8,836,045 inhabitants in 2008...
, MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
- Huancavelica
Huancavelica is a city in Peru. It is the capital of the Huancavelica region and has a population of approximately 40,000. Indigenous peoples represent a major percentage of the population...
, PeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.Peruvian territory was home to the Norte Chico...
- Meycauayan, Philippines
The Philippines officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
- Marilao, Philippines
The Philippines officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
- Bratsk
Bratsk is a city in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Angara River near the vast Bratsk Reservoir. Population: 259,335 . Although the name sounds like the Russian word for 'brother' , it actually comes from 'bratskiye lyudi', an old name for the Buryats.-History:The first Europeans in the...
, RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
- Chita
-Places:* Chita, Aichi, a city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan* Chita District, a district located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan* Chita Peninsula, in Aichi Prefecture, Japan* Chita, Zabaykalsky Krai, a city in Russia; administrative center of Zabaykalsky Krai...
, RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
- Magnitogorsk
Magnitogorsk is a mining and industrial city located by the Ural River in Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, with one of the largest iron and steel works in the country. It was named for the Magnitnaya mountain that was almost pure iron, a geological anomaly...
, RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
- Rudnaya Pristan
Rudnaya Pristan is a village located at the mouth of the Rudnaya River, on the Pacific coast of Primorsky Krai. It is situated 35 km east of Dalnegorsk and approximately 514 km north of Vladivostok...
, RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
The Institute has operated in China since 2002.
World's "Dirty 30"
In its 2007 report,
The World’s Worst Polluted Places issued on September 16, the Blacksmith Institute included Meycauayan and Marilao in
BulacanBulacan , officially called the Province of Bulacan or simply Bulacan Province, is a first class province of the Republic of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Region in the island of Luzon, north of Manila , and part of the Metro Luzon Urban Beltway Super...
,
PhilippinesThe Philippines officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
, in the list of the world’s thirty most polluted
placesIn geography, Location is a position or point in physical space that something occupies on the Earth's surface, the Solar System, or mankinds physically reachable universe...
in the developing world.
The World’s Worst Polluted Places It stated: "Industrial waste is haphazardly dumped into the Marilao, Meycauayan, and
ObandoObando is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. It is 16 kilometers away from the Philippine capital Manila. Obando is locked by two cities from Metro Manila namely Valenzuela City in the east, Navotas and Malabon City in the south, Bulacan in the north, and the waters...
River system, a source of drinking and agricultural water supplies for the 250,000 people living in and around” the Meycauayan-Marilao area."