Mumbai, June 7 -- An ambitious Rs.16.7 lakh crore plan is underway to develop the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) into the country's leading data centre hub. In addition to the existing 20 data centres that are operational in the state, 28 projects worth Rs.7.77 lakh crore are under implementation, while another 16 projects involving investments of Rs.8.91 lakh crore are in planning stage. At a meeting chaired last week Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said 60% of India's data centres will be in MMR after these projects are completed. Data centres are massive warehouse-sized buildings that host powerful computer systems used to train AI models. Around the world there is an increasing pushback against data centres as they guzzle water and electricity. As per an International Energy Agency (IEA) estimate, a 100 MW hyperscale data centre can consume around 2 million litres of water per day for cooling . Mumbai's domestic water consumption is approximately 135 litres per person per day, and a family of four uses about 540 litres a day. A single 100 MW (megawatt) data centre consuming 2 million litres daily uses water equivalent to the daily needs of roughly 3,700 households, or about 14,800 people. The MMR's daily water need is about 8,000 MLD (million litres per day). Once operational, these data centres will need 856 MLD, roughly 10 % of the water consumed by the populace. These centres in MMR are also projected to generate more that 1.46 lakh direct jobs according to the government. At present, MMR is a $140 billion economy with a per capita income of Rs.4.36 lakh. Environmentalist D Stalin has urged the state government to publish a white paper detailing the sector's projected water and electricity requirements and their impact on citizens. He said Mumbai and the MMR are already facing groundwater stress, increasing salinity and mounting pressure on potable water resources. Speaking about the concerns over the power and water usage by these data centres, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis told HT, "The concerns are understandable, and sustainability has been built into our planning from the very beginning. On water, we are encouraging the use of treated wastewater, recycling systems and advanced cooling technologies that significantly reduce freshwater consumption. Many modern data centres are moving towards highly water-efficient designs, and we are actively promoting such practices. On power, Maharashtra is undertaking one of the largest energy expansion programmes in the country. We are adding substantial renewable energy capacity, strengthening transmission infrastructure and creating dedicated power arrangements for large industrial consumers."...