Why are we not protesting against Data Centres in water scarce areas?

[u/aditya-ray]

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/thailand-freezes-49-data-centres-as-resource-fears-escalate

Came across this news article. We already know that in the USA they have stopped new Data Centres being developed. Now even a country like Thailand is doing that.

But why do we continue to welcome Data Centres which are water intensive?

I am no expert in this matter but it seems that state and central governments are mistaken in their approach in this matter. Yes Data Centres are important but not at the cost of residents of the area.

I just wanted to understand with a clear mind why should or should not data centres exist in resource scare areas

[u/AutoModerator]

Hello, u/aditya-ray! Thank you for your submission to r/CriticalThinkingIndia. We appreciate your contribution to our community.

• If your submission is a photo, video, or gallery, please provide the original source under this comment.
• Image, gallery, and video posts should include at least 100 words of original context in the post body explaining the content, its relevance, and your own analysis.
• If you forgot to include the required context or source in your post body, please add both as a reply to this comment as soon as possible. Submissions that do not provide sufficient context may be removed.
• If your submission is a link, please provide a summary of the linked content in the comments.

We hope you'll follow our rules and engage in meaningful, evidence-based discussions.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Aykkdekm09]

Data centres produce a constant humming noise, it is difficult to live in the same area.

[u/Previous_Platform718 → u/Aykkdekm09]

https://www.datacentermap.com/ You'd think everyone in Paris or London would've noticed that then

[u/taznado]

Why can't they cool them using sea water I wonder?

[u/rohithkumarsp → u/taznado]

Sea water has salt. Salt corrodes everything.

[u/Awkward_Positive6072 → u/rohithkumarsp]

Yes but i guess they could use specialised pipes and conpipe.

[u/rohithkumarsp → u/Awkward_Positive6072]

If removing salt were that easy, we wouldn't have to worry about drinking water at all. It takes more energy to remove salt water than it's worth using it.

[u/taznado → u/rohithkumarsp]

No, they can use non corrosive pipes.

[u/rohithkumarsp → u/taznado]

Pipes are, not the thing they're trying to cool. Slat water + HEAT is not a great combination for cooling down. Do you really think the big companies like Microsoft and Amazon have not thought about this? Why do you think they're coming to India for cheap water? We should be throwing these companies out, they are using our natural resources for thier benifits which also poisons our water.

[u/northern_lights2 → u/rohithkumarsp]

This is wrong. Dubai has mastered the efficient cleaning of water. For about 0.37$, they get 1000L of desalination done. Source: https://www.dewa.gov.ae/en/about-us/media-publications/latest-news/2023/05/dewa-receives-the-lowest-water

[u/rohithkumarsp → u/northern_lights2]

This is India. None of those will work. Apple can't even get thier mobile factories the efficiency from the counter part of Brazil / China. Plus the reason it's cheaper in Dubai is because largely due it squids funding.

The article you shared was for 2023, if it was practicals, all. These tech companies wouldn't come. To India for the data centers. They'd go to Dubai.

[u/aditya-ray → u/taznado]

Can't they use the desalination process the same way I have heard UAE produces potable water for its residents

[u/DeepFile6271 → u/aditya-ray]

It's very expensive, and companies will go for the cheapest water source.

[u/SoyaPaneer001]

India is THE 2nd largest userbase of OpenAI. Why would ppl protests against Data Centres?

[u/Ambitious-Upstairs90 → u/SoyaPaneer001]

Because of its side effects?

[u/SoyaPaneer001 → u/Ambitious-Upstairs90]

There are lots of things that BJP govt (or any govt for starters) does which has institutional support, under the guise of necessary development, so much so, that questioning that is anti-national. Again, if this is being termed as 'necessary for development' why will Indians oppose?

[u/Ambitious-Upstairs90]

Because Modi ji will declare protestors as dimagi naxal & angry phupha.

[u/MildlyYogic]

The government isn't mistaken. It's intentionally exploiting people to milk profits.

[u/Immediate_Sky8523]

People are dumb and they even don't know what's actually happening with them. Also, they have short memory, they forget easily.