EEvery day, Kiran Kasbe navigates her rickshaw taxi amid the bustling Mahuls near her home on Mumbai’s eastern coast, where stalls brim with tomatoes, gourds, and eggplants, often enveloped in thick smog.

Earlier this year, doctors identified three tumors in her 54-year-old mother’s brain. The specific cause of her cancer remains unclear, yet those residing near coal-fired power plants have a significantly higher risk of developing such illnesses. A study indicates that Mahul’s residents live mere hundreds of meters from these plants.

The air quality in Mahul is notoriously poor; even with closed car windows, the pungent odor of oil and smoke seeps in.

“We are not the only ones suffering health issues here. Everything is covered in grime,” noted Kasbe, 36.

Last year, plans to shut down two coal-fired power plants operated by Indian firms Tata Group and Adani were announced as part of the government’s initiative to reduce emissions. However, by late 2023, these decisions were overturned after Tata claimed escalating electricity demand in Mumbai necessitated coal.

Neither firm responded to inquiries for comment.

India’s electricity demand has surged in recent years, driven by economic growth and increased air conditioning needs due to severe heat exacerbated by climate change. However, a study by Source Material and The Guardian highlighted that a primary hindrance for cities in relying on fossil fuels is the insatiable energy demands of data centers.

Leaked documents also expose Amazon’s significant presence in Mumbai, where it stands as the largest data center operator globally.

In metropolitan areas served by Amazon, the organization has noted three “availability zones,” indicating one or more data centers. Leaked data from a year ago indicated that the company operates 16 machines in the city.

Bhaskar Chakravorty, an academic at Tufts University analyzing technology’s societal impacts, remarked that the surge in data centers is creating a tension between energy needs and climate goals as India evolves its economy into an artificial intelligence hub.

“I’m not surprised by the slow progression towards a greener transition, particularly as demands grow rapidly,” he said regarding the Indian government’s stance.

Amazon spokesperson Kylie Jonas asserted that Mumbai’s “emissions issue” cannot be attributed to Amazon.

“On the contrary, Amazon is among the largest corporate contributors to renewable energy in India, backing 53 solar and wind initiatives capable of generating over 4 million megawatt-hours of clean energy each year,” she stated. “Once operational, these investments will power more than 1.3 million Indian households annually.”

Amazon is establishing numerous data centers globally, vying with Microsoft, Google, and other entities for dominance in the burgeoning AI sector.

Amazon Employee Climate Justice representative Eliza Pan criticized the company for not acknowledging its role in perpetuating reliance on one of the most polluting energy sources.

“Amazon is leveraging this shiny concept called AI to distract from the reality of building a dirty energy empire,” she said.

Jonas refuted this assertion, stating, “Not only are we recognized as the most efficient data center operator, but we’ve also been the top corporate purchaser of renewable energy for five successive years, with over 600 projects globally.”

Amazon’s claims regarding green energy are contentious. The organization has been scrutinized for engaging in “creative accounting” by acquiring renewable energy certificates alongside direct green energy purchases, as noted by a member of Amazon Employees for Climate Justice.

“Everything is contaminated”

Kasbe operates her rickshaw in Mahul, a former fishing settlement that has transformed into a residence for tens of thousands who were displaced from slums across the city.

Kasbe and her mother relocated here in 2018 after their home in Vidyavihar’s outskirts faced demolition. She was in good health prior to the move, but her medical condition significantly worsened, culminating in a brain tumor diagnosis.

Gajanan Tandol, a local resident, shared that pollution-related diseases are prevalent. “There are numerous instances of skin and eye inflammation, cancer, asthma, and tuberculosis, yet we receive no government assistance,” he lamented.

Another community member, Santosh Jadhav, implored the government to relocate residents from Mahul.

“Everything is tainted. We’re exhausted from fighting for a decent existence,” he stated. “This is hell for us.”

hidden data center

Amazon, an e-commerce platform facilitating 13 million customer transactions daily, is investing billions into expanding its profitable cloud computing sector and enhancing its AI-assisted services, such as automated coding and translation, as per research from CapitalOne.

Many of the centers in Mumbai remain under the radar because they are leased rather than owned. Unlike in the U.S., where Amazon predominantly owns its facilities, it frequently rents entire data farms or server racks in centers shared with other companies elsewhere.

Xiaolei Ren, a computing scholar from the University of California, Riverside, remarked that shared “colocation” units lead to significantly higher energy consumption in data centers compared to wholly owned or fully leased operations.

“The majority of energy used in the data center sector is concentrated in colocation facilities,” he noted. “They are ubiquitous.”

Based on leaked information, Amazon’s colocation data center in Mumbai consumed 624,518 megawatt-hours of electricity in 2023, sufficient to power over 400,000 homes in India for an entire year.

India is on the verge of surpassing Japan and Australia, poised to become the second-largest consumer of data center power in the Asia-Pacific region. S&P predicts that by 2030, data centers will account for one-third of Mumbai’s energy consumption, according to Techno & Electric Engineering CEO Ankit Saraiya.

“Poison hell”

In a bid to keep up with power demand, the Maharashtra government has extended the operational duration of the Tata coal-fired power plant in Mahul by at least five years. Additionally, the closure of a 500-megawatt plant operated by Tata competitor Adani Group in the city’s north has been postponed.

When Tata requested an extension in its proposal to the State Energy Commission, it cited the rising energy demand from data centers as the primary justification. Adani projected that the anticipated surge in demand during the five years following the plant’s scheduled closure would come predominantly from data centers.

These power plants represent merely two of the numerous polluting sources within Mumbai’s Mahul district. The area also houses three oil refineries and 16 chemical facilities, as stated in a 2019 report by the Indian Center for Policy Research, which branded the locality a “toxic hell.”

The Tata power plant has been operational since 1984, and like many old power stations, it is subject to lenient emissions regulations, as noted by Raj Lal, chief air quality scientist at the World Emissions Network, who labeled it “one of the major contributors to air pollution in Mumbai.”

The Center for Energy and Clean Air Research noted that PM2.5 particles comprise nearly a third of the area’s pollution. PM2.5 particles are airborne and less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, which can lead to severe health issues when inhaled.

Shripad Dharmadhikari, founder of the environmental organization Manthan Adhyayan Kendra, stated that the toxic heavy metals in ash generated by the factories are likely to trigger “respiratory diseases, kidney ailments, skin issues, and heart problems.”

While Tata’s facilities continue operations, Mumbai’s power grid is buckling under the increasing demand. To mitigate potential power shortages, Amazon’s colocation data center in the city has invested in 41 backup diesel generators and is seeking permission for additional installations, according to the leaked documents.

A report from the Center for Science and Technology Policy (CSTEP) released in August identified diesel generators as a primary pollutant source in the locality.

Air quality expert Swagata Dey at CSTEP argued that the presence of data centers requiring continuous electricity, coupled with the backup diesel generators, “will inevitably exacerbate emissions,” advocating for legal requirements for data center operators to utilize pollution-free solar energy.

Particularly, the Amazon facility across Thane Creek from Mahul has 14 generators already installed, and one partner was granted permission to set up another 12 generators on-site earlier this year.

“Public health considerations must be central to decisions regarding data center locations and energy source selections,” stated Wren from the University of California, Riverside, co-author of a recent paper evaluating the public health consequences of diesel generators in U.S. data centers.

Sushmita notes that in India, surnames are not commonly used as they signify caste, reflecting a hierarchical and discriminatory social structure.