**Summary: Water Consumption by Data Centers in India**
The Ministry of Jal Shakti, through the Minister of State Shri Raj Bhushan Choudhary, provided a formal update regarding the water consumption of data centers in India in response to a Rajya Sabha inquiry (USQ 4074).
**Sector Growth and Strategic Objectives**
The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) reported significant expansion in the country's data center capacity, which grew from 375 MW in 2020 to over 1500 MW by 2025. The government’s objective is to democratize technology and strengthen digital infrastructure to improve service delivery across various sectors. MeitY noted that, to date, no concerns have been officially received regarding water consumption in these facilities.
**Water Efficiency and Technological Adoption**
To mitigate environmental impact and minimize water usage, the industry is transitioning toward advanced cooling systems and energy-efficient practices. Key technologies currently deployed to enhance water efficiency and support high-performance computing (HPC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) workloads include:
* Direct-to-chip liquid cooling
* Adiabatic cooling
* Immersion cooling
* High-density racks
**Regulatory Framework**
Data centers operating across India are subject to groundwater extraction regulations established by the Ministry of Jal Shakti. These operations are governed by:
* **Notification No. S.O. 3289(E)** (dated September 24, 2020)
* **Amendment Notification** (dated March 29, 2023)
**Document Metadata**
* **Posted Date:** March 30, 2026
* **Source:** PIB Delhi, Ministry of Jal Shakti
* **Release ID:** 2246886
* **Legislative Reference:** Rajya Sabha USQ 4074
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Jal Shakti: The primary ministry responsible for regulating groundwater extraction and issuing guidelines to manage water consumption in industrial operations.
Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY): The nodal department for digital infrastructure development that monitors data center capacity growth and technical advancements in water efficiency.
Guidelines for regulation & control ground water extraction: The regulatory framework issued via government notifications to manage and limit groundwater usage across the country, applicable to data centers.
Shri Raj Bhushan Choudhary: The Minister of State for Jal Shakti who provided the official government response regarding data center water usage in the Rajya Sabha.
Ministry of Jal Shakti
WATER CONSUMPTION BY DATA CENTERS IN
THE COUNTRY
Posted On: 30 MAR 2026 4:06PM by PIB Delhi
The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) reported that no concerns have been
received regarding water consumption in Data Centres.
The Government is democratising the development and usage of technology. The focus is facilitating
establishment of data centres in the country which will help strengthen digital infrastructure and improve
delivery of digital services across various sectors.
As per MeitY, data centre capacity in the country has grown from 375 MW in 2020 to more than 1500
MW till 2025. New approaches are improving cooling systems, enhancing water efficiency, and reducing
overall energy consumption. To minimise water usage, the industry adopts advanced cooling technologies
such as direct-to-chip liquid cooling, adiabatic cooling and immersion cooling. Industry also deploys high
density racks to efficiently support high-performance computing & Artificial Intelligence workloads for
further reduction of power and water consumption. The data centres in India are spread across the country
and for regulation & control ground water extraction, guidelines have been issued by Ministry of Jal
Shakti vide notification no. S.O. 3289(E) dated 24.09.2020 & amendment notification dated 29.03.2023.
Together, these technologies improve water use efficiency and lower the water requirement across data
centre operations.
The information was provided by THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI SHRI RAJ
BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
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(Rajya Sabha USQ 4074)
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