Data Centres Won’t Cause Water Shortage in Vizag- Lokesh

Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh said the AI hub being developed in Visakhapatnam will emerge as a landmark project for the country. He clarified that there would be no environmental violations in granting approvals for data centres. Responding to a question raised by Jana Sena MLA Nagamadhavi in the Assembly, Lokesh dismissed claims that data centres would lead to a water shortage in Visakhapatnam. He said data centres are critical for an AI-driven digital economy and the country’s data sovereignty. According to him, a fully operational 6.5 GW capacity would require around 3 TMC of water annually under current technology.

Lokesh said water for the data centres would be supplied from the industrial allocation of Polavaram water and would not affect the drinking water supply of Visakhapatnam residents. The government is working to bring Polavaram water to the city through gravity within 18 months and plans to establish dedicated pipelines for data centres. He added that newer cooling technologies could further reduce water consumption and that a data centre uses roughly one-tenth the water consumed by a 1 GW thermal power plant. Lokesh said the target of allocating 6.5 GW for data centres set by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has already been achieved, with priority being given to environmentally responsible companies.