The Rescue of Haina

Haina (Bajos de Haina), is a town and municipality in the San Cristóbal province, of the Dominican Republic.

AIE-Haina Press Release:

The Business and Industry Association of Haina and the Southern Region (AIEHaina and Southern Region), announced with great satisfaction that Haina no longer part of the ten (10) most polluted cities in the world, following its removal from the position occupied in that line in the global ranking by the Blacksmith Institute.

Blacksmith Institute report from 2007:

Haina, also known as Bajos de Haina, has been referred to as the 'Dominican Chernobyl'. A community near an abandoned lead-acid battery recycling smelter, nearly its entire population shows signs of lead poisoning. In 2000, the Dominican Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources identified Haina as a national hotspot of significant concern.

The World's Worst Polluted Places in 2013 (unranked): worstpolluted.org/2013

1. Agbogbloshie, Ghana
2. Chernobyl*, Ukraine
3. Citarum River, Indonesia
4. Dzershinsk*, Russia
5. Hazaribagh, Bangladesh
6. Kabwe*, Zambia
7. Kalimantan, Indonesia
8. Matanza Riachuelo, Argentina
9. Niger River Delta, Nigeria
10. Norilsk*, Russia