India's Google Datacentre Sparks Concerns Over Environmental Impact

Google's $15 billion AI datacentre project in Tarluvada, India has sparked concerns among locals and environmental activists. The village head, BRB Naidu, admitted he was torn about whether the datacentre would bring prosperity or ruin to their community.

The state government granted environmental clearances for the 2.51GW project in just nine days, without public consultation. Activists fear that meeting the datacentre's vast energy demands will lead to seismic environmental consequences, including driving up fossil fuel emissions.

Locals are worried about the impact on water supplies and extreme heat. One farmer, Venkat Surynarayana, said officials never mentioned risks of pollution or water or heat when measuring land for the datacentre.