South Africa: Approved in the Dark - - the Hidden Environmental Toll of SA's Data Centre Boom
[Daily Maverick] As South Africa's data centre boom accelerates, civil society groups are petitioning the SAHRC for strict regulation and transparency before unmonitored facilities strain local water, land, and energy grids.
As South Africa's data centre boom intensifies, civil society groups are urging the SAHRC to enforce strict regulations and transparency before unregulated facilities drain local water, land, and energy resources. During the City of Cape Town's planning tribunal, a member voted against approving the land-use changes for a second Equinix hyperscale data centre in July.
The omitted information, concerning water and electricity consumption, should not be disregarded, the dissenting member cautioned. Despite the approval proceeding for the King Air Industria site adjacent to it, residents in Bishop Lavis and the informal settlements of Barcelona and KTC in Gugulethu recall queuing for water during Cape Town's 2017-2018 water crisis.
The developer's response to inquiries about water usage—tellingly incomplete until post-approval—reveals the precarious nature of South Africa's rapid data centre expansion. This situation is the impetus behind a joint submission to the South African Human Rights Commission by five organizations, highlighting the ethical and human rights concerns associated with the country's digital infrastructure development.
Written by urgent.news from AllAfrica's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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