By Media Selangor Team
SHAH ALAM, Sept 4 — The National Water Services Commission (SPAN) is conducting a study on water consumption patterns at data centres nationwide to ensure their heavy usage does not affect supply for households and industries.
Its chairman, Datuk Abdul Kadir Mohd Din, said the move would allow for stricter regulations, including requiring data centres to use only specific types of water allocated to them.
“We are doing a study on who is using treated and untreated water, because we are regulators of treated water,” he said, as reported by The Star.
“If they say they are using untreated water but our check shows they are actually using treated water, they can be penalised.
“The guidelines, for instance, will say brown pipes for untreated water, while blue pipes are for treated water. But if you abuse this, we can penalise you. Treated water is for consumption, it’s for the public to drink,” he said.
The upcoming guidelines are expected to be ready by year-end. It will also outline pricing structures and rules on water sources.
Recent data show over 100 data centres that are seeking government approval could require up to 808 million litres of water daily (MLD), which is more than half of Johor’s treated water consumption of 1,511 MLD.
Kadir explained that while data centres may tap into treated water, SPAN encourages the use of alternatives such as sea water or recycled water to prevent strain on limited fresh water resources.
“If they use river water and there is a drought, they won't have enough water for cooling and their operations will also be impacted. If they drain the water from the rivers, they will deprive domestic users.
“That is why we want them to use different sources of water. They (data centres) are also not permanent as they might only stay for 10 years and then leave. It is we who are left to suffer. So we have to protect our consumers,” he said.
The new guidelines will expand on existing practices, such as the requirement for operators to maintain two-day water reserves.
