Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh has addressed concerns over the water requirements of upcoming data centres in Visakhapatnam.

He assured the State Assembly that the projects would not affect the city’s existing residential water supply.

According to Lokesh, data centres will receive water from the industrial allocation of the Polavaram Project.

Dedicated pipelines will be provided to supply water to the data-centre facilities. 

The minister said Visakhapatnam’s urban water requirements would be supplied separately through Polavaram.

He said gravity-based Polavaram water supply for the city is expected to become operational within 18 months. 

Lokesh said the planned 6.5 GW data-centre ecosystem would require around 3 TMC of water annually under current technology.

He added that newer cooling technologies could further reduce water consumption. 

The minister also highlighted the government’s focus on developing a sustainable AI and data-centre ecosystem in Vizag.

He said the State would prioritise companies demonstrating strong environmental responsibility.

The government has positioned Visakhapatnam as an emerging hub for AI, digital infrastructure and technology investments.

The issue remains significant as citizen groups continue to raise concerns about the potential impact of large data-centre projects on water and other resources. 

Lokesh reiterated that the government’s objective is to attract technology investments without compromising Vizag’s environmental and water security.