Can't cook or shower: Indonesians take aim at data centres

Cooking and bathing became difficult when taps ran dry in Batam, an Indonesian island where residents are protesting as data centres spring up to power the global artificial intelligence boom.

A man fills a water storage tank from a clean water tanker truck in Kavling Bakau Serip. Photo by ANDARU / AFP

The area had suffered a "long drought" caused by low rainfall, the local water utility operator told AFP, as a strong El Nino cycle exacerbates dry weather.

But, as in other countries, anger has been directed at the data centres, warehouse-like facilities that keep apps and artificial intelligence tools running, with water often used to cool their humming servers.

Frustration is bubbling over in Indonesia and Malaysia -- especially in regions bordering Singapore that are seen as a prime location for new tech facilities.

At first the main reaction was, "thank God industry is coming" to Batam, 54-year-old tradesman Juniardi Adinda Sembiring Gurukinayan told AFP.

Source: Citizen Digital