In brief
On Indonesia's Batam island, hundreds of residents marched to the doors of the Nongsa Digital Park, demanding fresh water after their taps went dry for three months. The protest follows the rapid growth of data centres that consume vast amounts of water for cooling, straining the island’s already limited reservoirs. While authorities blame a dry spell, local communities allege that the machines are siphoning their water, leading to accusations of corporate overreach. Investors claim the digital hub will bring billions of dollars in tech projects, but residents insist that basic infrastructure must not be sacrificed. The clash highlights a growing global debate over resource competition between data infrastructure and local livelihoods.
“Water! Water!” the crowd shouted as it stormed a compound with data centres, armed with empty plastic bottles and jerry cans. “Not a single drop has come through our taps for the last three months,” said protester Dewi Susanti, a resident of Bakau Serip. She added that her community now depends on tanker trucks delivering “dirty, cloudy and smelly” water.
Batam’s water utility said it was working to improve supply but did not link the issue to the data centres. BP Batam, the agency in charge of trade and industry, blamed a prolonged dry spell and denied authorising the companies to divert water from local reservoirs.
The protest comes amid a surge of data‑centre development. The island has approved ten such facilities, six within Nongsa Digital Park, and is expected to reach up to 1,100 MW of power demand by 2030 – enough to supply almost a million homes. Meanwhile, the reservoirs that feed 1.3 million residents are shrinking, with the Nongsa reservoir projected to dry in the coming month without rainfall.
Experts note that data‑centre cooling can consume up to 300,000 gallons of water daily. A 50‑MW plant could draw enough water to supply 2,200 households, while a 450‑MW facility could use water equivalent to 18,500 households. In Batam, precise figures remain unknown, but the clash illustrates the real‑world cost of digital expansion.
Residents demand transparency and that new projects include dedicated desalination plants to avoid further strain on the island’s freshwater resources. Local officials face pressure to balance investor appetite with the community’s basic needs, while the data‑centre boom continues to raise questions about sustainability and social responsibility worldwide.
