Power & Energy
Mumbai families near coal plants kept running for data centres describe living with polluted air
Partially confirmed
- Date
- 2025-11-24
- Location
- Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
- Category
- Power & Energy
- POLLUTION
Evidence
- Did the harm happen?
- Independently documented
- Did the data center cause it?
- Possible
- AI connection
- No verified AI connection
- What was affected
- Air, Human health
- Why
- Air pollution and health complaints documented; data centres are one of several sources of power demand.
- Denials and outcomes
- Infrastructure-pressure lead, not an incident. The air pollution and health problems are real and reported, but they come from coal plants kept running partly because of rising data-centre electricity demand. No specific data centre is tied to specific harm, so this is held privately rather than counted as an incident.
The Guardian reported that Mumbai families living near coal-fired power plants describe severe air pollution and health problems, as rising electricity demand from data centres keeps the city reliant on coal. The two coal plants run by Tata Group and Adani near Mahul were due to close, but the decision was reversed in late 2023 after Tata cited rising electricity demand.