3 weeks ago
Data centres and India's water: claims versus the evidence
Some people in India are worried that big computer buildings called data centres use too much water.
These buildings help run websites and apps, and they need water to stay cool.
People in cities like Visakhapatnam and Bengaluru were concerned because their cities already do not have enough water.
News reports said India's data centres might need almost 150 billion litres of water in one year.
But a careful study found that data centres use only a tiny part of India's water, about 0.02 to 0.03 percent.
That is much less than farms, which use almost 80 percent of the water.
Also, a lot of the water used for cooling evaporates into the sky and later comes back down as rain.
Rules now ask data centres to recycle water and sometimes not let any dirty water out.
Some companies, like Microsoft and Equinix, are already using recycled water.
So data centres use some water, but the worries may be bigger than the real problem.
Residents near a proposed tech campus in Visakhapatnam raised water concerns in spring 2025, with similar worries reported in Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad.
Reports estimate India's data centres may need nearly 150 billion litres of water a year in 2025, and cite research that 60-80% of future capacity could be in high water stress zones.
A Council on Energy, Environment, and Water 2026 report finds data centres account for just 0.02-0.03% of India's total water demand, versus 78-80% for agriculture.
Analysts argue critics confuse water withdrawal with consumption, noting most cooling water evaporates and returns to the water cycle rather than being permanently lost.
Regulations such as Rajasthan's 2025 data centre policy require wastewater recycling and zero liquid discharge for some facilities, and operators like Microsoft and Equinix are adopting recycled-water and low-water cooling.
- Who
- Residents of Visakhapatnam, technology experts, environmental researchers, data centre operators such as Microsoft and Equinix, and regulators including the Central Pollution Control Board and MeitY.
- What
- A debate over whether India's data centres consume excessive amounts of water, pitting alarming estimates against evidence showing a very small share of national demand.
- Where
- India, particularly Visakhapatnam, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad, with comparisons to Singapore, Arizona, and California.
- When
- Concerns emerged in spring 2025; cited sources span Mordor Intelligence's 2025 research, a November 2025 BBC report, and 2026 releases from CEEW and the Press Information Bureau.
- Why
- Because many Indian cities face severe water stress and data centres require large volumes of water for cooling.
Critical narrative
Evidence-based reassessment
Scale of water use
Critical narrative
Data centres are portrayed as silent, voracious consumers of India's water, with one facility using as much as thousands of homes and needs of nearly 150 billion litres a year.
Evidence-based reassessment
CEEW finds data centres account for only 0.02-0.03% of India's total water demand, a minor claimant compared with agriculture's 78-80% share.
Withdrawal versus consumption
Critical narrative
The media treats 'water use,' 'diversion,' and 'pollution' interchangeably, implying data centres endlessly drain and guzzle local water supplies.
Evidence-based reassessment
Most water entering cooling towers evaporates and returns to the atmosphere and water cycle, so billions of litres measure throughput, not permanent depletion.
Regulatory adequacy
Critical narrative
Data centres are implied to be uncontrolled consumers free to extract from aquifers without consequences.
Evidence-based reassessment
CPCB discharge standards, state groundwater No Objection Certificates, and policies like Rajasthan's zero liquid discharge requirement already regulate the sector.
Key facts
- Estimated data centre water need (2025)
- Nearly 150 billion litres per year (Mordor Intelligence)
- Future capacity in water-stressed zones
- 60-80% (S&P Global research, cited by BBC)
- Data centres' share of India's water demand
- 0.02-0.03% (CEEW 2026 report)
- Agriculture's share of India's freshwater use
- 78-80%
- Rajasthan data centre policy
- 2025 policy mandates wastewater recycling and zero liquid discharge for some facilities
- Government position
- MeitY (March 2026) says groundwater limits and CPCB discharge standards already apply to facilities
- Microsoft pledge
- Water positive by 2030
- Singapore's recycled water source
- NEWater (highly treated recycled municipal wastewater)
Sources
Related news
Lokesh Defends Vizag Data Centres Amid Water Concerns
Google's $15 Billion India Data Centre Sparks Water Crisis Fears
Global Data Centre Growth Faces Rising Community Opposition
AI Expansion Puts Jamnagar and Thane Under Water Stress
Data Centre Cooling Evolves from Water Towers to Liquid Systems
India's data centre boom shadowed by foreign-funded critical reporting
Indian Restaurants Turn History, Memory And Heritage Into Shared Meals
Delhi's New EV Policy to Phase Out Petrol Vehicle Registrations
FCRA Amendment Bill 2026 Tightens India's Foreign Funding Rules
Climate Change's Economic Impact: Global GDP Losses and Vulnerable Sectors
