India’s ambition to become a global hub for artificial intelligence infrastructure is facing organised public resistance, with residents in Thane and Visakhapatnam raising concerns over the environmental and social impact of large AI data centre projects backed by Amazon and the Google-Adani partnership.
In Thane, the proposed Amazon hyperscale data centre spans around 53 to 58 acres in the Balkum-Majiwada area. Residents have questioned whether such a large facility should be built in a densely populated neighbourhood, arguing that it could increase pressure on water, electricity and other public resources. They have also sought greater transparency over environmental clearances, water demand, power consumption and the project’s long-term impact on nearby communities.
The Thane Municipal Corporation has sought to reassure residents, stating that the proposed facility will receive treated sewage water rather than drinking water. Amazon has also said its Indian data centres do not use water for cooling and that the approved water allocation for the Thane project is intended only for basic human needs such as drinking water and restrooms. The company added that the facility will incorporate noise management measures and air-based cooling systems designed to minimise its impact on neighbouring communities.
Nearly 800 kilometres away, similar concerns have emerged in Visakhapatnam, where citizen groups are opposing a proposed Google-Adani hyperscale AI data centre complex spread across multiple sites. Protesters have questioned land acquisition, environmental clearances and plans to source water from the Polavaram project or desalination facilities. They have also argued that the public resources and tax incentives being offered to the projects should be weighed against their expected economic benefits, with government documents estimating around 1,700 permanent jobs across the three sites.
Google said independent environmental studies informed the project’s design and that advanced air cooling, noise mitigation measures and ecological safeguards have been incorporated to reduce its environmental footprint.
The protests come as India rapidly expands its data centre capacity to support growing AI demand. According to a recent CEEW-Systemiq white paper, the country still lacks a binding national policy governing where data centres should be built and how their land, water and electricity use should be managed. The report notes that similar concerns have already prompted tighter regulations and restrictions on large data centre projects in parts of the United States and Europe.
