THANE: The Maharashtra government has set up an expert committee to study how the proposed Amazon data centre in Thane’s Balkum-Majiwada area could affect the city’s water supply, power network and environment. The committee will be headed by senior nuclear scientist Dr Anil Kakodkar and will assess the impact of data centre projects across the state.
The panel will examine water use, electricity demand, air and noise pollution, heat emissions and the strain such projects place on local infrastructure.
The government acted after Konkan Graduates’ Constituency MLC Adv. Niranjan Davkhare raised the issue and followed up with the state.
422 MW capacity, 193 diesel generators
In a memorandum to the government, Davkhare said the proposed Balkum-Majiwada data centre has a total capacity of 422 megawatts. He also said the project includes a proposal for 193 large diesel generators.
Davkhare pointed out that two very different figures have been given for the project’s water use: 12 MLD (million litres per day) and 125 KLD (kilolitres per day). He demanded an independent check of how much water the facility will actually use.
Data centres need large amounts of electricity and water. Davkhare argued that the state must check whether the project would put extra pressure on Thane’s existing water supply and power distribution.
Other concerns raised
He also asked for a study of:
- emissions and noise from the diesel generators
- heat generated by the facility
- tree felling at the site
- drainage of rainwater during the monsoon
- the effect on local traffic
- fire safety arrangements
Residents of Balkum-Majiwada will now watch for the committee’s findings, which are expected to shape how such large data centre projects are cleared in Thane and the rest of Maharashtra.