Lighting Up Smarter

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Udupi’s plan to replace over 20,000 conventional streetlights with LEDs is set to cut power consumption by 80%, saving the city significant costs. But as more cities follow suit, a crucial question arises. Could the shift to LED lights be creating new problems, like increased light pollution and disrupted sleep cycles? As cities embrace energy efficiency, is there a balance to be struck between sustainability and the well-being of residents?

Last week, Udupi’s civic body received an approval for its proposal of replacing conventional streetlights with more than 20,000 LED lamps in all the 35 wards. The project will help the municipality reduce power consumption by 80% and save around Rs 1.2 crore, which the civic body spends annually as the maintenance cost of outdated lamps.

The LED lights will have a centralised control and monitoring system which will help the staff to rectify faults in the streetlights from the control room.

LEDs, or Light-Emitting Diodes, are not only energy efficient but are also easy to repair. Defunct streetlights are a common issue in many Indian cities. Dehradun Municipal Corporation receives around 100 complaints regarding streetlights daily. Similar is the case in Greater Noida, Gurgaon, Hubballi and Bhopal, where conventional streetlights have been lying in a dysfunctional state for years.

Maintaining the conventional streetlights incurs high costs and poses a great challenge to the urban local bodies. The Municipal Corporation of Manesar has refused to take over the upkeep of the streetlights, citing the same reason. LEDs, on the other hand, have a longer lifespan and require less maintenance.

Conventional Street Lights

Replaced with LED Street lights

Many cities are replacing their conventional streetlights with LEDs. The Government of India launched the Street Light National Programme in 2015 with an aim to replace 3.5 crore conventional street lights with energy-efficient LED lights. Currently, over 13 million streetlights have been replaced under the initiative. However, as the cities switch to LEDs, one must also look at the harmful effects these lights can have on humans as well as the environment.

Scientific studies suggest that LEDs are increasing light pollution, and medical experts warn that exposure to such bright blue lights can disrupt the sleep cycle (for plants and animals as well), which can lead to more severe health problems. Some experts suggest that shields for dimming and motion detectors for LED streetlights can help minimise the light pollution. Do you have defunct streetlights in your city?

Is your city planning to replace them with LEDs? Share your thoughts below. To know more about Udupi, click here.