Congress questions Maharashtra govt’s data-centre expansion push amid drought in 265 talukas

The Congress on Sunday questioned the Maharashtra governments push to expand the datacentre industry after the state declared drought in 265 of its 358 talukas raising concerns over how water resources will be allocated between industry agriculture and householdsThe Maharashtra government on Saturday declared drought conditions in 265 talukas across 32 districts covering about 74 per cent of the state following deficient rainfall and prolonged dry spells It also announced a series of relief measures including crop loan restructuring concessions on land revenue and relief on electricity bills for agricultural pumpsCongress media and publicity department head Pawan Khera questioned whether the expansion of datacentre infrastructure could put additional pressure on water resources in droughtaffected areasCongress raises water allocation concernsKhera said Maharashtra has been seeking large investments in the datacentre sector and is targeting substantial growth in its capacityMaharashtra has attracted more than USD 300 billion in investment interest for data centres and has set a target of reaching 57 GW of datacentre capacity by 2032 according to industryrelated statements made earlier this monthData centres require two critical resources power and water The amount of water they consume depends on the cooling technology used but water requirement is an important consideration particularly in waterstressed regions like Maharashtra Khera saidHe questioned how the state would ensure that water needed for drinking and agriculture would remain available while supporting new industrial infrastructureBut few crucial questions arise When nearly threefourths of Maharashtra is officially under drought what is the governments plan to ensure that the states water resources are not diverted away from farmers and ordinary citizens to fuel this massive datacentre expansion Khera saidReclaimed water proposal comes under scrutinyKhera also referred to a reported plan under which municipal corporations would treat sewage with the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation further purifying the treated water before it is supplied to data centres and other industriesThe Congress leader questioned why similar efforts were not being prioritised for agriculture in areas facing water shortagesAnd if the state is prepared to set up a network to treat sewage and reclaim water for industry why has no such urgency been shown in providing reliable reclaimed water for farmers which could help reduce the distress driving farmer suicides Khera saidThe Maharashtra governments existing datacentre policy provides for uninterrupted water supply to data centres in industrial development authority areas and says datacentre units should recycle water where possible to reduce their requirementsThe policy has made water availability part of the infrastructure planning for the sector while the Congress has raised questions about how such industrial requirements should be balanced with the needs of droughtaffected communitiesMaharashtra announces drought relief measuresThe drought declaration followed an assessment of rainfall and dryspell conditions across the state The government has invoked the first stage of its droughtmanagement framework in the affected talukasThe relief measures announced by the state include restructuring of crop loans concessions in land revenue postponement of recovery of agriculturerelated loans and concessions on electricity bills for agricultural pumpsThe government has also directed district collectors to begin croploss assessments in the affected areas Officials have been asked to document crop damage and submit assessments for determining further assistanceA separate government resolution is expected to specify financial assistance for crop losses after the prescribed assessment process is completedChhatrapati Sambhajinagar division has most affected talukasAccording to the government resolution the 265 droughtaffected talukas are spread across 32 districts The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division has the highest number of affected talukas according to the government data cited in the reportThe rainfall deficit has affected several parts of Maharashtra with districts in Marathwada Vidarbha western Maharashtra and northern Maharashtra among the areas reporting significant shortages State data cited in recent reports showed that the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division received 4245 mm of rainfall between June 1 and September 18 against normal rainfall of 6131 mm a deficit of 308 per centDatacentre expansion remains an investment priorityMaharashtra has been positioning data centres as part of its broader digital infrastructure and investment strategy State officials have said the sector is expected to play a significant role in the states economic expansion with the government targeting 57 GW of capacity by 2032The scale of the proposed expansion has brought renewed attention to the sectors requirements for electricity and water Industry officials have acknowledged that both resources are fundamental to datacentre operationsWith inputs from PTI