#batam

The island where locals say #datacentres are taking their water Muhammad Islahuddin, #Batam, and Kelly Ng, #Singapore " 'Water! Water!' the crowd shouted as it stormed a compound with data centres, armed with empty plastic bottles and jerry cans. "There were about 300 of them, all residents on the Indonesian island of #Batam, and they were furious that the taps at home had run dry, while the data centres in the new #NongsaDigitalPark seemed to have enough water to protect their machines from overheating. " 'Not a single drop has come through our taps for the last three months... Our water supply had been reliable until the data centres came,' Dewi Susanti, one of the protesters, told the BBC. "People in her village, #BakauSerip , were now depending on tanker trucks that dispensed 'dirty, cloudy and smelly' water, she said. "Batam's water utility told the BBC it was working to improve supply, but did not comment on whether the disruption was linked to demand from the data centres." Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqj6j7wlxd5eo Archived version: https://archive.ph/cYond #Malaysia #Indonesia #Johor #NoDatacenters #NoDatacentres #WaterIsLife #WaterShortage #DayOne #NoAIDatacenters #SinarPrimera #GawCapital #Nvidia #FirmusTechnologies

It's a very short boat ride the one from Singapore to Batam, Indonesia. But it's really a springboard from the globalised, motorised, and carbonised part of the world to the Global South. I have already travelled about 14,000km to come here without taking airplanes and I truly savour the crossing of this physical but most importantly cultural boundary between North and South. The taxi that takes me to the embarkment to Jakarta travels through bumpy roads, which turn into dirt road at the very access to the Pelni (the Indonesian national ferry company) departure point. I am torn between accepting the offer of porters to carry my luggage or carrying it myself. It's little money for me and a lot of money for them. I opt for carrying it myself, as I am short of Indonesian cash and I perceive porters' requests as bordering extortion. I travel 3rd class, because I want to stay as close as possible to the travelling conditions of most travellers. I get a bed in one of the many sleeping halls provided on the ship. A mattress is provided, although it's better not to think of the last time it has been washed. I must say sleeping is hard. People talk loudly throughout the night and kids cry loud. However, I am so tired that I sleep tight. As usual, I am woken up at 4am by the call to the Islamic morning prayer. #RefuseToFly #Slowtravel #Decarbonise #ClimateAction #StrictlyPublicTransport #researcherlife #researcher #Singapore #Indonesia #Batam #FerryTravel #Pelni