Wired but Thirsty

(SNS) India’s digital infrastructure is expanding at a pace unmatched in its history. The surge in data genera- tion, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing has created a powerful demand for data centres, the vast facil- ities that host the servers powering everything from banking to stream- ing. With billions of dollars flowing in from global tech companies and domestic investors, the country is poised to become one of the world’s largest data centre hubs within this decade. Yet, this success story con- ceals a mounting environmental dilemma that demands urgent nation- al attention.

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Data centres are the invisible engines of the digital economy, but their operation comes at a heavy ecological cost. These facilities require immense quantities of water for cooling their constantly running servers and consume vast amounts of electricity to remain operational. In a country that supports nearly a fifth of the world’s population with only a fraction of its freshwater resources, such expansion without adequate regulation risks deepening an already precarious water crisis. Projections suggest that India’s data centre water consumption could more than double over the next five years. The problem is magnified by the fact that most facilities are clustered in major cities such as Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru ~ areas that already face recurring water