KUALA LUMPUR, January 23 — The National Water Services Commission (SPAN) has called for urgent action to address the growing water demand from data centres, which are increasingly relying on treated water for cooling systems. SPAN Chairman Charles Santiago warned that this reliance will become unsustainable within the next three to five years.
With 52 data centres in Johor and 27 in Selangor — and many more planned — local councils are urged to ensure that all new developments include alternative water supply plans, such as rainwater harvesting and efficient cooling technologies. Data centres are a significant strain on water resources, particularly in areas like Johor, where water requests are projected to rise by 23% from 2023 levels, reaching 440 million litres per day by 2035.
In response to this increasing demand, SPAN proposed several strategies to alleviate the pressure, including using reclaimed water from sewage plants, advanced cooling technologies, and rainwater harvesting systems. Santiago also emphasized the importance of integrating water-saving measures into the initial planning stages of data centre construction to avoid future shortages, especially during droughts exacerbated by climate change.
Santiago stressed that both federal and state governments must collaborate to ensure sustainable water management, with local authorities assessing the environmental impact and water usage of new data centres before approval. He further advocated for the implementation of real-time water efficiency monitoring systems and for water suppliers to set usage limits for data centres.
These measures are seen as critical to preventing operational disruptions and ensuring a reliable water supply for both industrial and public needs.
