Mumbai's residents are paying the price as the city becomes increasingly dependent on coal-fired power plants to meet its growing energy demands, despite government pledges to reduce emissions. For Kiran Kasbe, 36, life is a constant struggle due to poor air quality. His mother, who lives in his neighborhood of Mahul, developed brain cancer after moving there from another part of the city.
Mahul's air is notoriously dirty, with residents often complaining about thick smog and oil fumes even when driving indoors. Health experts have linked prolonged exposure to such pollutants to increased risks of respiratory diseases, skin problems, and other health issues.
The state government of Maharashtra has extended the life of a coal plant in Mahul by at least five years, despite efforts to cut emissions. Energy-hungry data centers are cited as a major driver of energy demand growth in Mumbai. According to leaked records from Amazon's inner workings, the company operates 16 colocation units in the city - significantly more than initially stated.
Amazon has claimed it is a leader in renewable energy investments, with over $600 million dedicated annually globally. However, critics argue that its accounting practices obscure the true scale of its environmental impact. The company's Mumbai facilities alone use 624,518 megawatt hours of electricity annually - enough to power nearly half a million Indian homes.
The data centers' reliance on diesel generators and coal-fired power plants contributes significantly to pollution in Mahul district. Experts say that public health impacts must be taken into account when siting data centers and selecting energy sources. To mitigate blackouts, Amazon's colocation units have purchased 41 diesel generators as backup systems.
To guard against outages, data centers require constant power, increasing the pressure on the grid. As India becomes a hub for artificial intelligence, concerns over pollution-linked illnesses continue to grow in Mahul.
Mahul's air is notoriously dirty, with residents often complaining about thick smog and oil fumes even when driving indoors. Health experts have linked prolonged exposure to such pollutants to increased risks of respiratory diseases, skin problems, and other health issues.
The state government of Maharashtra has extended the life of a coal plant in Mahul by at least five years, despite efforts to cut emissions. Energy-hungry data centers are cited as a major driver of energy demand growth in Mumbai. According to leaked records from Amazon's inner workings, the company operates 16 colocation units in the city - significantly more than initially stated.
Amazon has claimed it is a leader in renewable energy investments, with over $600 million dedicated annually globally. However, critics argue that its accounting practices obscure the true scale of its environmental impact. The company's Mumbai facilities alone use 624,518 megawatt hours of electricity annually - enough to power nearly half a million Indian homes.
The data centers' reliance on diesel generators and coal-fired power plants contributes significantly to pollution in Mahul district. Experts say that public health impacts must be taken into account when siting data centers and selecting energy sources. To mitigate blackouts, Amazon's colocation units have purchased 41 diesel generators as backup systems.
To guard against outages, data centers require constant power, increasing the pressure on the grid. As India becomes a hub for artificial intelligence, concerns over pollution-linked illnesses continue to grow in Mahul.
! Coal-fired power plants are killing it there - I mean, people's health! Kiran Kasbe's mom got brain cancer from moving to Mahul... that's just heartbreaking 
. The government promises to reduce emissions, but it's all talk if they're just extending the life of those dirty coal plants 
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! 41 diesel generators? That's crazy 
. Can't they just switch to renewable energy already?! It's all about the profit over people's health... not cool 
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Data centers are growing fast, but at what cost? The air is dirty, and so is our conscience 
. We need to rethink this energy mix ASAP! 
I mean, i knew mumbai's air quality was bad, but to think that data centers are contributing to it and killing people like kiran's mom... 
it's just not right. Amazon's all about being a leader in renewable energy, but if their own facilities are using so much coal, how can we trust them? 
what's the point of having all these energy pledges if you're not going to enforce them?
Those poor people in Mahul... can't even breathe properly! 
They need better air quality control ASAP! Data centers are huge energy suckers & Amazon's all about profits, not the environment 
. It's like the city is taking a hit just to keep up with its growing energy demands. I get it, energy needs are important and we need to grow our tech industry, but at what cost? Our health should be a priority too 
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. The fact that they need so many diesel generators and coal-fired power plants just to keep up with demand is alarming 
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. Our health and the environment are worth it 
It's like they're trying to turn our city into a toxic wasteland. Mahul is bad enough without all those data centers sucking up power & churning out emissions. I mean, what's the point of all this "renewable energy" nonsense if you're just gonna offset it with coal? 