Batam residents protest against data centre expansion as water shortages worsen
Sign up now: Get insights on Asia's fast-moving developments
The road blockade in Indonesia was the latest in a series of protests over the past two months, as residents in the Riau Islands district have grown increasingly frustrated with worsening access to clean water.
PHOTO: ST FILE
- Residents in Nongsa, Batam blocked Nongsa Digital Park on Oct 5 over months of water cuts they linked to expanding data centres.
- BP Batam said El Nino and the dry season caused the shortage, not data centres, and promised water tanker trucks and restored supply within two days.
- The protest upset tenants and may lead to more action if the issue is not fixed; Island has at least 16 hyperscale data centre projects due by 2027-28.
AI generated
BATAM – Dozens of residents in Nongsa district in Batam blocked access to Nongsa Digital Park on Oct 5, protesting against water shortages they say have left their neighbourhoods without piped supplies for months while data centre developments continue to expand.
The road blockade in Indonesia was the latest in a series of protests over the past two months, as residents in the Riau Islands district have grown increasingly frustrated with worsening access to clean water.