Congress raises concern over RBI data centre in Odisha, flags water use

• Odisha Congress warns that proposed RBI data centre could consume 2 crore litres of fresh water daily, threatening groundwater reserves and agriculture.

• Opposition questions project’s employment potential ahead of its inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 October.

• Demands disclosure of water requirements, environmental safeguards and measures to protect farmers and local livelihoods.

The Congress in Odisha on Friday, 23 October raised concerns over the proposed Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data centre in Khurda district, alleging that its daily requirement of around 2 crore litres of fresh water could deplete groundwater reserves, threaten agriculture and worsen farmers’ distress.

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to inaugurate the facility on 25 October, the Opposition party also questioned how many jobs it would generate for local people and demanded transparency over its environmental impact.

Former finance minister Panchanan Kanungo said the centre would place an enormous burden on local water resources, with its water requirements likely to be met through groundwater extraction.

“We are totally opposed to the data centre because it will consume around 2 crore litres of fresh water every day, and this requirement will be met from the groundwater of Khurda district,” Kanungo said at a press conference in Bhubaneswar, alongside party spokesperson Sonali Sahu.

He claimed that other states, including Andhra Pradesh, had refused to host an RBI data centre, while the Odisha government had agreed to provide land for the facility.

Questioning the project’s employment potential, Kanungo alleged that diverting groundwater for its operations could affect agricultural activity and aggravate the problems faced by farmers.

The Congress demanded that the government disclose the centre’s projected water consumption, its likely impact on local resources, the number of jobs expected to be created and the safeguards planned to protect farmers.

“If the government claims that this project represents the future of Odisha, then where do the drinking water needs of the people, irrigation for farmers’ farmlands, the natural flow of rivers, and livelihood opportunities for the youth fit in?” Kanungo asked.

Citing what he described as available data, Kanungo claimed that cooling the machinery at a single data centre could require 2 crore litres of fresh water a day. Valuing the water at Rs 10 per litre, he estimated its annual cost at Rs 7,200 crore.

He warned that local residents could face water shortages, while farmers might be forced to abandon cultivation and migrate elsewhere in search of work.

The Congress also questioned what the BJP’s ‘triple-engine’ government had done to resolve the Mahanadi water dispute with Chhattisgarh. It sought clarity on how the state’s industrialisation drive would translate into employment opportunities for Odisha’s youth.

With PTI inputs