*#Excerpt from Urban Acres*
Dayanand Nene of the citizen initiative WakeUp Thanekar has written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis seeking an immediate suspension of construction until the state’s water crisis eases and the committee headed by nuclear scientist Dr Anil Kakodkar submits its report. The demand places a specific project inside a broader policy question: whether the civic and environmental requirements of data centres are being assessed before urban land and public resources are committed to them.
The available report does not establish the Balkum facility’s proposed capacity, its projected water demand, the source of its water, or the precise status of approvals and construction.
What is clear is that water has become the central point of contention. Nene has argued that data centres require substantial quantities of water for cooling and operations, while several parts of Thane and nearby suburbs rely heavily on private tankers for daily needs. His objection is not presented as opposition to technology or investment. Instead, he has asked the government to consider whether industrial requirements should receive priority when residents face uncertainty over basic water access.
-- Urban Acres
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