When you hear the term "polluted city," you probably picture tall, gloomy concrete jungles with trash-choked streets. It's a nightmare to see smoke rising everywhere, loud honking, choked exhaust pipes, overflowing sewage, toxic waste leaving endless factories.

While we're entering another period of endeavoring to be more green, maintainable, environmental and sustainable thing— many significant urban areas haven't up to speed to these principles yet.

Instead, they provide conditions that could be harmful to a person's health. Additionally, the world's most dangerous cities frequently coexist with the world's most polluted ones.

Here is the list

1) Damam, Saudi Arabia : The Saudi Arabian city of Dammam has a population of 1,252,523 people. It is also currently the world's most polluted city, according to Smart Air. You can understand why this city has such a thick layer of smog because it is the primary administrative center of the Saudi oil industry.

PM 2.5: 124.11 µg/m3

2) Lahore, Pakistan : With over 13 million people living there, Lahore is Pakistan's second-largest city. Other factors are at play, in addition to the crowded conditions that are to blame for the severe pollution caused by urban activities in Lahore.

PM 2.5: 111.63 µg/m3

3) Begusarai, Bihar : This Indian city has become a smog hotspot because it is home to the Barauni Thermal Power Station (BTPS), Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), and Barauni Sudha Dairy industries.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that the PM2.5 concentration in Begusarai is currently 9.9 times higher than the limit that is recommended.

PM 2.5: 108 µg/m3

4) Dhaka, Bangladesh : Bangladesh's largest and capital city is Dhaka. This quickly developing city likewise has a quickly developing instance of air contamination with a PM2.5 focus 6.1 times over as far as possible given by the WHO.

Nearly 17 million people live in the city, many of them in one of the many slums (over 5000).

PM 2.5 : 84.73 µg/m3

5) Delhi, India : Delhi is India's capital and a huge metropolitan area. The city's ever-increasing population of 32,066,000 in 2022 is well-known. Pollution, from polluted soil to unhealthy water quality, is to be expected with so many people. Delhi is famous for smog after diwali ends.

PM 2.5 : 84.39 µg/m3

6) Muzaffarnagar, UP: Muzzafarnagar is known as the sugar bowl of India in the Uttar Pradesh locale. Large sugar, steel, and paper industries are found here. Although these agricultural businesses provide residents with employment opportunities, they are also the primary cause of the city's poor air quality.

PM 2.5 : 81.35 µg/m3

7) kashgar, China : Kashgar has a long history as a major trading center between a vast desert and the Pamir Mountains. This once-separated desert garden has now developed into a clamoring city of 711,300 (2019) individuals. The unhealthy air in the city today is 4.5 times higher than the recommended concentration of PM 2.5.

PM 2.5: 78 µg/m3

8) Baghdad, Iraq : Iraq's capital, Baghdad, is a center of Arabic culture and Islamic civilization. Known as one of the world's most noteworthy urban areas, Baghdad presently faces issues with destitution, debasement, dislodging, lack of education and, at last, undesirable air quality.

PM 2.5 : 77.62 µg/m3

9) Ghaziabad, UP : Ghaziabad is one more city in India's Uttar Pradesh district you'd need to stay away from for its wellbeing chances. This city's poor air quality is a result of its expanding population of 1,729,000 and well-known oil engine manufacturing.

PM 2.5 :  74.72 µg/m3

10) Patna, Bihar : The historic and bustling city of Patna is located on the Ganges River's south bank, which is regarded as one of the world's most polluted waterways. The dhammar, kajli, and Dadra are popular music genres that originated in this northeast Indian city.

PM 2.5: 67.20 µg/m3

11) Hapur, UP : You won't get fresh air in Hapur. All things considered, you'll get unfortunate air quality, which is 2.3 times over the suggested PM 2.5 fixation level. This city is just 60 kilometers (37 miles) above New Delhi and is located in the Uttar Pradesh region of India.

PM 2.5 : 67.02 µg/m3

12) Peshawar, Pakistan : Peshawar is Pakistan's sixth-largest city, with a population of more than 2.3 million people. Due to terrorism, violence, and a PM 2.5 concentration 6.1 times higher than the recommended level, it is also not the cleanest or safest city to live in.

PM 2.5 : 66.15 µg/m3

13) Lucknow, UP : In contrast to its name, Lucknow has very poor air quality, with a PM 2.5 concentration that is currently 5.5 times higher than what is considered safe. It makes sense that this multicultural city, which serves as Uttar Pradesh's capital, has such a large population (3,945,000 people this year).

PM 2.5 : 63.65 µg/m3

14) East London, South Africa : South Africa's East London is a popular tourist destination on the Eastern Cape. It's known for having mild sea shores and rich fossil history, yet it has as of late been gaining appreciation for its dangerous natural practices.

PM 2.5 : 60.69 µg/m3

15) Pokhara, Nepal : Pokhara is a beautiful city on the glistening Phewa Lake that has the most stunning views of the Annapurna mountain range. However, it has recently been getting recognition for its problematic environmental practices. It is known for having warm beaches and a rich fossil history.

PM 2.5 : 59.15 µg/m3

16) Manama, Bahrain : Manama is the capital of the Gulf of Aden island nation of Bahrain. Although it looks beautiful from a distance, you'll run into a lot of problems closer up. Over 708,882 people live in the city, which is a major financial and retail center. The country's annual PM 2.5 concentrations are significantly higher than the recommended limit, making it unsafe to live there.

PM 2.5 : 57.38 µg/m3

17) Chandigarh, India : The planned city of Chandigarh is located in the northern part of India, at the foothills of the Shivaliks mountain range. One of India's best experiments, this innovative city was designed by Le Corbusier, a well-known French architect. The city, on the other hand, was not immune to severe air pollution. Chandigarh's smog is so bad that it makes it hard to see and is hurting people's quality of life.

PM 2.5 : 53.16 µg/m3

18) Hawally, Kuwait : Hawally is on this list because Kuwait has a lot of oil production. Drilling, fracking, and burning fossil fuels all result in enormous amounts of air pollution. For 218,141 (2022 data), the city serves as a major suburb and commercial hub.

PM 2.5 : 53.16 µg/m3

19) Khorramshahr, Iraq : According to the 2016 census, Khorramshahr is a inland port city in Iran's Khuzestan Province with a population of 170,976. This city could be more pleasant to live in due to its rapid population growth, increased frequency of dust storms, and dried-up rivers.

PM 2.5 : 51.44 µg/m3

20) Faridabad, Haryana : Faridabad is one of the world's most polluted cities and the city with the most people in the Indian state of Haryana. It is not the healthiest place to live, with a PM2.5 score that is 3.7 times higher than the limit that is recommended.

PM 2.5: 50 µg/m3

You're done now. The world's most polluted cities. Are you still eager to visit these locations? The majority would concur that brief visits will not cause much harm. But staying in such polluted cities for a long time is bad for you.

Fortunately, you can reduce the amount of pollution you are exposed to by taking certain actions. Recycling, air purifiers, pollution masks, and car cabin filters are all excellent examples of what you can do.