Batam residents protest water shortages amid data centre expansion

Residents on the Indonesian island of Batam have staged protests against the rapid expansion of data centres, which they believe are contributing to severe local water shortages. While the local water utility, Air Batam Hilir (ABH), attributes the scarcity to a long drought exacerbated by the El Nino cycle and recent electrical faults, many locals link the lack of water for cooking and bathing to the cooling requirements of the facilities powering the global artificial intelligence boom.

Protests occurred outside the Nongsa Digital Park, a special economic zone hosting various tech facilities. Although industry sources claim the tech park utilizes the Duriangkang Reservoir rather than the depleted Nongsa Reservoir, tensions remain high. In response to the crisis, authorities have instructed developers to construct seawater desalination plants for cooling purposes to alleviate pressure on municipal resources.

The surge in data centre construction in Indonesia and Malaysia follows a period between 2019 and 2022 when Singapore paused new developments due to resource constraints. Experts suggest that Southeast Asian data centre capacity could triple by 2030, raising long-term concerns regarding energy and water security in the region.