Google's $15 B Visakhapatnam Data Centre Faces Water and Wildlife Opposition

Google Visakhapatnam data centre water shortage wildlife sanctuary

Google is building a $15 billion data‑centre hub in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, in partnership with Indian billionaire Gautam Adani’s conglomerate. The project, billed as historic and transformational, is expected to generate up to 188,000 jobs.

Local activists and children have staged protests, carrying banners that read “We cannot drink DATA” and painting handcuffs on the Google logo. They argue the centre will strain the city’s water supply, which provides about 410 million litres per day against a demand of 480 million litres. The Andhra Pradesh government says the concerns are “incorrect and misleading” but remains open to feedback.

Legal challenges have been filed, and the Andhra Pradesh High Court will hear a public‑interest litigation on 24 August. Critics also point to the proximity of the Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary – home to leopards and pangolins – as a risk to local biodiversity. The state, led by an ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, defends the project as compliant with Indian law and says it will use advanced air‑cooling technology to limit water use.

Entities: Andhra Pradesh · Gautam Adani · Google · Google LLC · Jal Biradari · Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary · Raja Rama Mohan Roy · Visakhapatnam

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 3 SOURCES] The state government says activists' concerns are incorrect and misleading but is open to feedback. (Reuters)
[● 3 SOURCES] Environmentalists oppose the project over concerns it will strain water supplies. (Reuters)
[● 6 SOURCES] Visakhapatnam receives about 410 million litres of water per day but needs roughly 480 million litres. (State government data)
[● 3 SOURCES] In the United States, 142 protests were held across 42 states in July over similar data‑centre water concerns. (Reuters)
[● 6 SOURCES] Activists organized marches with banners reading “We cannot drink DATA”. (Activist groups)
[● 6 SOURCES] The Andhra Pradesh High Court will hear a public interest litigation on August 24. (Court schedule)
[● 7 SOURCES] Google is planning a $15 billion data centre hub in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. (Google)
[● 6 SOURCES] The nearby Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary is home to leopards and pangolins. (Environmental reports)
[○ 1 SOURCE] The project is expected to create up to 188,000 jobs. (Project estimates)
[● 2 SOURCES] Google is partnering with Indian billionaire Gautam Adani’s conglomerate for the Visakhapatnam data‑centre project. (Project partnership details)