Water scarcity and land protests cloud Bengaluru's AI expansion
Residents in Bengaluru's Electronic City report that nearby data centres are worsening local water shortages, while farmers outside the city are protesting the government's land acquisition for a township that would include AI-related industries. Karnataka's home minister has acknowledged the resour
Karnataka's push to expand artificial intelligence infrastructure in its tech hub Bengaluru is facing growing opposition over water and land use, with residents and farmers raising concerns about the industry's environmental and social costs.
In Bengaluru's Electronic City, IT executive Pranay Dubey, who runs a citizens' group, says nearly 150 housing estates in the area rely on private water tankers because they lack connections to the city's piped water supply. His own residential complex, comprising 264 flats, is among them. The group believes nearby data centres, which can consume large amounts of water to cool computing equipment, are multiplying the impact of water scarcity on residents. Bengaluru currently has 31 operational data centres, with more in the pipeline.
Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge, who also oversees the information technology and biotechnology portfolios, acknowledged the resource demands and said the government is exploring ways to make data centres more sustainable. Measures under consideration include the use of treated wastewater, liquid cooling technology and greater reliance on renewable energy. "We want to see how we can make it greener, better, more sustainable," he said.
Beyond the city, the state government's proposed Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township, near Bidadi southwest of Bengaluru, has triggered protests from hundreds of farmers. The plan includes setting aside more than 800ha for AI-related and ancillary industries. Farmers from several villages have been opposing the land acquisition for more than 18 months, saying the development threatens fertile farmland used to grow multiple crops including betel nuts, coconuts and bananas, as well as sericulture.
Despite the resistance, the government issued a final notification in June to acquire about 210ha across three villages in the first phase of the project. Among those opposing it is 45-year-old Neela, a mother of three whose family owns about 4ha of farmland passed down through generations. "The land is owned by our ancestors. They are making a township here and where else can we go now?" she said. "We don't want to give it to them. (Even with) the money they would give, we don't want luxury cars or gold to live our lives. We are happy with what we have."
A month after issuing the notification, the Karnataka government assured farmers that their land would not be taken by force and appointed a committee to review the township project and consider differing public views. Kharge said industrial development remains important to the state's future. "We are an agrarian economy and it's always good to be that. But at the same time, there needs to be a healthy balance of industrialisation," he said. "In this era of rapid change, the last thing that you want to do is be left behind as a nation."
