3 min readBengaluruMay 7, 2026 08:35 PM IST
The Karnataka government is set to introduce a dedicated sustainable data centre policy, in addition to its existing framework to address the environmental impact of massive high-maintenance computing hubs. The shift comes as the state grapples with local resistance and the massive power and water demands required to sustain such data centres.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Karnataka IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge said the government has faced pushback at the local level due to data centres creating “heat islands”, localised areas of significantly higher temperatures.
“There are technologies that data centres can employ which are better for the environment, more energy efficient, and emit less heat,” Kharge said. The new policy aims to mandate or incentivise these technologies to ensure that the digital growth does not come at the cost of local environmental quality.
Data centres require vast quantities of water for cooling. To reduce the strain on the city’s freshwater resources, the government plans to supply treated water to these facilities.
“Bengaluru already has secondary treatment facilities. We are looking at tertiary treatment of water wherever possible to feed it to data centres or any other industry for that matter,” he said.
Following a meeting last week, a committee led by senior IAS officers Gaurav Gupta (Additional Chief Secretary) and S Selvakumar (Principal Secretary) has been formed to submit a comprehensive report on potential locations.
“The government is also identifying locations where there is access to renewable energy supply along with power evacuation lines, water and treated water,” the minister said.
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Once the report is submitted, it will be taken up by a steering committee under Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister D K Shivakumar.
The last meeting discussed a 500 MW data centre park planned near Hoskote, Bengaluru. This centre will receive 60 million litres per day (MLD) of secondary-treated water from the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board, and the industries will handle tertiary treatment themselves. Also, solar power from the 2,000 MW Pavagada Solar Park will be supplied to the centre.
Other areas where data centre parks are planned include Mysuru and Mangaluru.
Karnataka Industries Minister MB Patil announced after a recent meeting that approximately 350 acres of land owned by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) have been identified in the Baikampady Industrial Area in Mangaluru for establishing a data park. He also said that suitable land will be identified in Mysuru for this purpose.
