Indonesians furious as Batam data centres drain taps: ‘we cannot cook without water’
Cooking and bathing became difficult when taps ran dry in Batam, an Indonesian island where residents are protesting against data centres springing up to power the global artificial intelligence boom. The area had suffered a “long drought” caused by low rainfall, the local water utility operator said, as a strong El Nino cycle exacerbates dry weather. But, as in other countries, anger has been…
Indonesians are furious as data centers in Batam drain taps, leaving residents unable to cook or bathe. A "long drought" caused by low rainfall and exacerbated by a strong El Nino cycle has led to water scarcity. Data centers, which run on cooling systems that use water, are often blamed for this issue, despite the water supply being mainly provided by a different reservoir.
Residents in Batam have staged protests outside new data center clusters, known as special economic zones. They demand that companies implementing such facilities adopt more efficient water use methods, such as closed-loop systems. Despite local government and water utility officials denying a direct link between data center construction and the water shortage, they are taking steps to manage water demand, including dredging reservoirs and exploring cloud seeding.
Similar concerns have arisen in Malaysia's Johor region, where data center construction has surged in recent years, putting pressure on water resources.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
