MCD to replace 59,000 streetlight bulbs with LEDs in Delhi
There are 59,579 high pressure sodium lights and 31,381 LED lights on 1,440km roads in the Capital with an annual bill of ₹110 crore
Around 59,000 high-pressure sodium lights installed on the 1,440km arterial city roads will be swapped with energy efficient, smart LED lights, senior officials in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi said.
While the Delhi government’s Public Works Department (PWD) maintains roads wider than 60 feet in the Capital since 2012, the ownership continues to vest with the corporation, an MCD official said.
The civic body has opined that the MCD, which already maintains a network of around 800,000 street lights in the inner colony roads, take up maintenance of lights on arterial roads, even as it sought additional funds for the same. The house of councillors will be take up the matter on Tuesday.
There are 59,579 high pressure sodium lights and 31,381 LED lights on these 1,440km roads with an annual power consumption bill worth ₹110 crore and an additional ₹28 crore being spent on their maintenance every year. The switch to LED lights will bring down the energy bill by nearly 50%, said officials.
On June 28, 2023, deputy secretary of PWD Anil Bhola sent a draft cabinet note to MCD commissioner Gyanesh Bharti, seeking in principle approval for replacement of all existing sodium lights by energy-efficient LED fittings.
In an official response, Bharti said that the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act states that the lighting of streets is one of the obligatory functions of the corporation, and added that the matter be taken up by MCD to maintain the streetlights on PWD roads.
Earlier in 2021, the erstwhile East MCD replaced 130,000 street lights to LED mode, leading to 78% energy savings and reduction of power units consumption from 9 crore units to 2 crore units, according to MCD’s electrical department said. MCD officials said that besides saving money, the LED streetlights help in reducing the carbon footprint of the city.
“MCD has already completed the replacement of 780,000 street lights from sodium lamps to LED with massive environmental impact. We are witnessing relative annual savings of 20 crore electricity KWh units with each unit leading to 0.85kg carbon dioxide emission savings. Besides ₹160 crore being saved in bills, Delhi now manages to save 170,000 tonne of carbon dioxide emissions every year,” an official from electrical department said.
An official from the mayor’s office said that the proposal for conversion of the sodium lamp streetlights to the LED lights has been received from the Delhi government for comments of the MCD. “The government wants to carry this project on its own cost. The matter will be taken up by the house of councillors on Tuesday,” the official said.
