# Batam's taps run dry as data centres boom

> Residents of an Indonesian island protest months without water while data centres use reservoirs to cool servers.
- Title: Batam's taps run dry as data centres boom · The Next Web
- Summary: Residents of an Indonesian island protest months without water while data centres use reservoirs to cool servers. Hundreds of residents in Batam, Indonesia…
- Keywords: batam, indonesia, data centres, water shortage, protest, nongsa digital park, bp batam, el niño, technology, startups, Batam's, taps
- Source: The Next Web — https://thenextweb.com/news/batam-data-centres-water-protest
- Author: Ana-Maria Stanciuc
- Published: 2026-10-13T11:56:04+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: batam, indonesia, data centres, water shortage, protest, nongsa digital park, bp batam, el niño, technology, startups
## Hundreds protest water crisis
Residents of Batam, an Indonesian island near Singapore, gathered outside Nongsa Digital Park on October five to protest months without running water while data centres kept their servers cool.
## Three months with empty taps
Protester Dewi Susanti told the BBC: "Not a single drop has come through our taps for the last three months. Our water supply had been reliable until the data centres came."

> Not a single drop has come through our taps for the last three months… Our water supply had been reliable until the data centres came
## Officials blame drought, not data
BP Batam, which runs trade and industry on the island, denies household water goes to data centres. It blames a long dry spell possibly linked to a strong El Niño.
## Data centre boom continues
Officials have cleared ten data centres in Batam, six in Nongsa park. Two are working, one is being built, six or more await approval. Investment tops six point seven billion dollars.
## Key takeaway

Hundreds of residents in Batam, Indonesia protested on October fifth after three months without running water while data centres use the island's reservoirs for cooling.