Politics · India · 2 days ago
Residents push back against Amazon data centre near Mumbai
Amazon is planning a data centre on a 54-acre site in Thane, near Mumbai, as part of its investment in India's AI infrastructure.
Residents living nearby say they were not meaningfully consulted and fear the facility will bring noise and strain local water and power supplies.
Hundreds of people protested beside the site on September 8, calling for the project to be moved.
Amazon and local authorities say the facility will use dedicated water and power sources and will not burden public utilities.
India is seeking to attract data centres as a way to build the physical infrastructure behind artificial intelligence.
The expansion matters because many Indian cities already face water shortages, and data centres use large amounts of water and electricity.
Residents say they will stay if the project is stopped, but move if it goes ahead; no decision on the project’s future is given.
Residents near an Amazon data-centre project outside Mumbai are protesting over concerns about water, electricity and noise.
The 54-acre facility is part of Amazon’s planned $21 billion investment in AI infrastructure in India by 2030.
More than 1,000 nearby residents say the project was advanced without meaningful consultation.
Amazon and local authorities say the facility will use dedicated water and power sources and will not burden public utilities.
The dispute reflects growing resistance in India to data-centre expansion, as the country seeks to become a major hub for AI infrastructure.
- Who
- Residents near the Amazon project are opposing it; Amazon and local authorities defend it.
- What
- Residents are protesting against a planned data centre, citing concerns about water and power supplies and noise.
- When
- Residents protested on September 8. The article was published on October 9, 2026.
- Where
- Near Mumbai, in Thane, Maharashtra, India.
- Why
- Residents fear the project will strain local resources and harm the quality of life in nearby homes.
Residents near the Amazon project
Amazon and local authorities
Local resources
Residents near the Amazon project
Residents fear the facility will strain local water and power supplies.
Amazon and local authorities
They say water and power will come from dedicated sources, so the project will not burden public utilities.
Community impact
Residents near the Amazon project
Residents complain about noise and say the project moved forward without meaningful consultation.
Amazon and local authorities
Amazon and local authorities have strongly defended the project.
I would not have bought the house if I had known,
If the data centre stops, we will stay ... If it goes ahead, we will move,
Hundreds of residents gathered beside the site in protest and called for the project to be moved.
A photograph showed homes and high-rise buildings along the boundary of the planned Amazon data-centre site in Thane.
- Amazon investment plan
- $21 billion in AI infrastructure in India by 2030
- Planned facility
- 54 acres
- Residents opposing project
- More than 1,000
- India’s share of global freshwater
- 4% for 18% of the world’s people
- Projected water stress
- S&P Global estimates 60% to 80% of Indian data centres could face high water stress this decade
Sources
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