Data Centre Expansion Raises Concerns Over Water Scarcity

News Desk

ISLAMABAD: As Pakistan accelerates plans to expand its digital infrastructure through large-scale data centres, growing concerns are emerging over the heavy water footprint required to cool these high-tech facilities amid the country’s worsening water crisis.

While initial policy discussions have largely focused on job creation and foreign investment, environmental analysts warn that the massive water requirements of evaporative cooling systems pose an unaddressed threat to national water security.

Data centres rely heavily on open evaporative cooling systems to dissipate the intense heat generated by heavy computing loads, a method that causes significant water loss into the atmosphere.

According to projections by the United Nations University, global data centres will consume nearly triple the combined electricity usage of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nigeria by 2030, with a water footprint equivalent to the basic domestic needs of 1.3 billion people.

In Pakistan, where per capita water availability has precipitously dropped from 5,600 cubic metres in 1947 to roughly 930 cubic metres in 2023, allocating precious freshwater to digital infrastructure presents a severe resource challenge.

Experts argue that while relocating computing capacity closer to Pakistan’s surplus electricity grids could optimize energy usage and lower consumer costs, integrating sustainable cooling technology is crucial.

Without strict regulations mandating closed-loop liquid cooling or air-based systems, rapid data centre deployment could spark severe resource competition between the technology sector, agricultural needs, and basic municipal water supplies across major urban centers.

To prevent imminent environmental strains, policymakers and industry stakeholders are expected to conduct comprehensive feasibility studies assessing the ecological impact of upcoming technology hubs.

Future regulatory frameworks are anticipated to mandate alternative cooling technologies and prioritize site selection near recycled wastewater facilities to balance digital growth with environmental sustainability.