Khera questions Maharashtra's data centre push amid severe drought

Congress MP Pawan Khera criticises Maharashtra's data-centre expansion plans as 74% of the state faces drought. He questions the government's water allocation priorities, asking if farmers will lose out to fuel the industry's growth.

Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pawan Khera has questioned the Maharashtra government's plans to expand the state's data-centre infrastructure amid the declaration of drought in 265 of its 358 talukas, raising concerns over the allocation of water resources among agriculture, households and industrial use.

Khera's remarks came a day after the Maharashtra government declared drought conditions in 265 talukas, covering about 74 per cent of the state, following deficient rainfall and prolonged dry spells during the 2026 Kharif season. The government has announced a series of relief measures for affected farmers and rural households.

Khera Questions Data Centre Push Amid Drought

In a post on X, Khera said, “Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has officially declared drought in 265 of Maharashtra’s 358 talukas - nearly 75% of the state. And this is happening as Maharashtra aggressively expands its data-centre industry.”

Khera said the state had attracted more than USD 300 billion in investment interest for data centres and was targeting 5.7 GW of data-centre capacity by 2032. He pointed out that data centres require significant amounts of power and water, with water consumption depending on the cooling technology used.

“The amount of water they consume depends on the cooling technology used, but water requirement is an important consideration, particularly in water-stressed regions like Maharashtra,” he said.

The Congress leader also referred to plans to treat and reclaim sewage for industrial use, including supplying reclaimed water to data centres. “The government is reportedly planning a system where municipal corporations treat sewage, MIDC further purifies it, and the reclaimed water is then sold to data centres and other industries,” Khera said.

'Who Has First Right Over Water?'

Amid the drought declaration, he questioned how the government would ensure that water resources were not diverted from farmers and ordinary citizens to support the expansion of the data-centre sector. “When nearly three-fourths of Maharashtra is officially under drought, what is the government’s plan to ensure that the state’s water resources are not diverted away from farmers and ordinary citizens to fuel this massive data-centre expansion?” he asked.

Khera further questioned, “In a state like Maharashtra - which has one of India’s highest farmer-suicide rates - who has the first right over water: farmers or data centres?”

He also asked why similar urgency was not being shown in providing reclaimed water for agriculture if the state was prepared to develop systems to treat sewage for industrial use.

Government's Relief Measures

The Maharashtra government, meanwhile, has announced measures including crop-loan restructuring, deferment of agriculture-related loan recovery, concessions on land revenue and agricultural electricity bills, water tankers wherever required, fodder arrangements and relaxation of employment-guarantee scheme norms. District collectors have also been directed to begin crop-loss assessments.

The government has said financial assistance for crop losses will be announced separately after the prescribed assessment process is completed.

The drought declaration and the government's relief measures come as Maharashtra faces concerns over water availability and agricultural requirements while simultaneously pursuing its broader plans to expand digital infrastructure and attract investment in the data-centre sector.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)