Now Reading: Farmers, activists warn AI data centres will worsen water crisis
-
01
Farmers, activists warn AI data centres will worsen water crisis
A three-day 'soil and water satyagraha' began in Tumakuru, Karnataka, as farmers and activists warned that AI data centres threaten water, land, and jobs. Speakers at the Gandhi Sahaja Besaya Ashram said…
The Story in Brief
A three-day 'soil and water satyagraha' began in Tumakuru, Karnataka, as farmers and activists warned that AI data centres threaten water, land, and jobs. Speakers at the Gandhi Sahaja Besaya Ashram said a single large data centre can consume in one day the water a village uses in a year. American researcher Raymol was quoted saying some US cities have restricted data centre expansion. Deccan Herald reports that experts claim automation could replace 75% of jobs by 2050 and 95% by 2070.
Separately, in Visakhapatnam, NGO Green Visakha held a session with lawyers to discuss the environmental and legal implications of proposed hyperscale AI data centres. Members called for transparent environmental impact assessments and public consultations. The Hindu reports that senior advocates expressed concern that Government Orders on the projects had not been debated in the Legislative Assembly.
The Indian Opinion
The warnings about AI data centres have a real basis in water and energy use, but the 75% job-loss figure by 2050 is more alarm than evidence. On the other side, dismissing these concerns as Luddite ignores the need for safeguards. The real test will be the environmental impact assessments for the Visakhapatnam hyperscale projects. Will the government enforce water audits before approving one more data centre?
Sources (2): deccanherald.com, thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
