Mumbai's residents are paying the price for a booming tech industry. The city's datacentre boom is creating an unsustainable energy demand, with the power grid struggling to keep up. As the number of diesel generators used by datacentres to provide backup power increases, so does air pollution.
The city's Mahul district has already been declared "toxic hell" due to a high concentration of polluting industries, including refineries and chemical factories. The addition of datacentres is exacerbating this problem, with toxic heavy metals from coal ash posing serious health risks to local residents.
Amazon, the world's largest cloud computing provider, operates a significant number of datacentre facilities in Mumbai. These centres are massive energy consumers, using 624,518 megawatt hours of electricity in 2023 alone. This is equivalent to powering over 400,000 Indian households for a year.
The company's reliance on diesel generators as backup power sources is also causing concern. With 41 diesel generators already in use and plans to install more, the datacentres are increasing air pollution levels in the area.
Industry experts say that datacentre operators should be required by law to power their facilities with clean energy, such as solar electricity. This would help reduce the impact on public health and the environment.
The government's decision to extend the life of coal plants like Tata Power Co's Trombay Thermal power station is also contributing to the problem. These plants are major sources of air pollution in Mumbai, releasing toxic heavy metals that can cause serious health problems.
As the city struggles to manage its energy demand, residents are feeling the effects. Air quality specialist Swagata Dey said: "The presence of datacentres that require constant power and diesel generators for backup will naturally exacerbate emissions."
For Kiran Kasbe, a local resident, the situation is personal. His 54-year-old mother was diagnosed with brain cancer after moving to Mahul, an area notorious for its poor air quality.
"We are not the only ones facing health challenges in the area," said Kasbe. "It's all covered with filth." His family is just one of many affected by the city's energy crisis and pollution problems.
The Indian government has set ambitious targets to reduce emissions, but the datacentre boom is undermining these efforts. As the world's largest user of datacentre electricity in the Asia-Pacific region, India is set to face significant challenges in meeting its climate goals.
The situation highlights the need for greater regulation and oversight of the datacentre industry. With the help of technology and renewable energy, it may be possible to reduce the impact of this growing sector on public health and the environment.
The city's Mahul district has already been declared "toxic hell" due to a high concentration of polluting industries, including refineries and chemical factories. The addition of datacentres is exacerbating this problem, with toxic heavy metals from coal ash posing serious health risks to local residents.
Amazon, the world's largest cloud computing provider, operates a significant number of datacentre facilities in Mumbai. These centres are massive energy consumers, using 624,518 megawatt hours of electricity in 2023 alone. This is equivalent to powering over 400,000 Indian households for a year.
The company's reliance on diesel generators as backup power sources is also causing concern. With 41 diesel generators already in use and plans to install more, the datacentres are increasing air pollution levels in the area.
Industry experts say that datacentre operators should be required by law to power their facilities with clean energy, such as solar electricity. This would help reduce the impact on public health and the environment.
The government's decision to extend the life of coal plants like Tata Power Co's Trombay Thermal power station is also contributing to the problem. These plants are major sources of air pollution in Mumbai, releasing toxic heavy metals that can cause serious health problems.
As the city struggles to manage its energy demand, residents are feeling the effects. Air quality specialist Swagata Dey said: "The presence of datacentres that require constant power and diesel generators for backup will naturally exacerbate emissions."
For Kiran Kasbe, a local resident, the situation is personal. His 54-year-old mother was diagnosed with brain cancer after moving to Mahul, an area notorious for its poor air quality.
"We are not the only ones facing health challenges in the area," said Kasbe. "It's all covered with filth." His family is just one of many affected by the city's energy crisis and pollution problems.
The Indian government has set ambitious targets to reduce emissions, but the datacentre boom is undermining these efforts. As the world's largest user of datacentre electricity in the Asia-Pacific region, India is set to face significant challenges in meeting its climate goals.
The situation highlights the need for greater regulation and oversight of the datacentre industry. With the help of technology and renewable energy, it may be possible to reduce the impact of this growing sector on public health and the environment.
. It's like everyone just wants to make a quick buck without thinking about the consequences. The fact that Amazon is using so much energy and diesel generators is just ridiculous 
. And now we're dealing with toxic air pollution in Mahul? Are you kidding me?! 
I mean, what's next? Are they gonna tell us it's okay to breathe in some pollutants because it's "progress"? 
Please. The government needs to step up and regulate this industry ASAP. We can't just keep ignoring the health impacts on our citizens 
. And those targets to reduce emissions? Forget about it, we're already behind schedule 
. This whole thing is just a mess 
.
The situation with Mumbai's datacentres is worrying, I think it's time we take a closer look at our energy consumption habits 
. With companies like Amazon using massive amounts of electricity, it's no wonder the power grid is struggling to keep up 
️.
, but we need to find a balance between growth and sustainability. The government needs to step in and set some stricter regulations on datacentre operators 
. We can't just rely on technology to solve the problem – we need to make conscious choices about how we consume energy.
. It's not just about the environment; it's about people's health and well-being. I think we need to have a more nuanced discussion about this issue and find solutions that work for everyone 
.
The devil is in the details... "The biggest risk is not taking any risk." - Mark Zuckerberg 
. I'm not sure why the government isn't pushing for more sustainable energy solutions here.
. We need to take action and regulate the datacentre industry before it's too late.
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. Let's get creative with renewable energy solutions and make Mumbai a cleaner, greener place for all 
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. And it's all because companies like Amazon can't be bothered to use clean energy sources? It's like they're intentionally trying to pollute the city 
. We can't keep living in a toxic hellhole like Mahul district. It's time for some serious change 
.
. Industry experts are right, datacentre operators should be using clean energy, not dirty old coal 
. The government needs to step up and regulate this industry ASAP, it's all about finding a balance between progress and public health 
And what about Kiran Kasbe's mom who got sick from breathing in all that polluted air? That's just heartbreaking 
ugh another thing to worry about in mumbai... these tech giants are just burning through electricity like there's no tomorrow 
. We need to get our datacentre operators to switch to solar power ASAP