Around 300 residents in Kavling Sambau, Nongsa District, Batam, protested over a water shortage that has left some areas without water for months, with residents linking the disruption to the development of data centers in the area (06/10).

Residents said the water supply in their neighborhood had previously been available for several hours a day but eventually stopped completely. The protest was held because residents said there had been no solution to the water problem.

Batam Residents Say Water Stopped After Data Center Development

Andi Lalang, head of RT 03/RW 02 in Sambau, said residents had been affected by the water shortage for a long time.

“There is a strong possibility. I never said 100 percent that the water stopped because of the data center. But since the establishment and construction of this data center, we have been totally affected by the water stoppage,” Andi said, as quoted by Detik.com on Tuesday (06/10).

According to Andi, water that was previously available for several hours each day has now stopped completely in his neighborhood.

Around 300 people participated in the protest, which Andi said was held because residents had yet to receive a solution to the water problem.

BP Batam to Check Water Distribution in Nongsa

Deputy for Business Development at the Batam Concession Agency (BP Batam), Denny Tondano, said BP Batam would check the water networks and sources serving each area.

“We will check where the source comes from. As an example, different RTs can have different water flows. It was just said that RT 3 has water flowing, while RT 4 does not. So, we will check how the flow works,” Denny said.

Denny also said the water supply problem in Nongsa was not solely related to data centers. The area has also been affected by the dry season.

Water production in Nongsa normally reaches 90 liters per second (LPS), but it has now fallen to around 25 LPS.

BP Batam Denies 160 LPS Water Supply to Data Centers

To support the water supply, BP Batam is using additional supply from Duriangkang Reservoir.

Denny denied claims that water was being supplied to data centers, including an allegation that 160 LPS was being sent to data center areas.

“If I said 160 LPS, perhaps I would know exactly how much was being sent. It is impossible for me to send 160 LPS from there. That does not exist,” Denny said.

Denny said several operating data centers are preparing their own water treatment systems.

Data Centers Prepare Their Own Water Treatment Systems

According to Denny, one of the data center areas already has its own water treatment system.

“They have their own treatment system there. Its production is quite large, and that is what they are using at the moment,” he said.

Meanwhile, residents of Kavling Bakau Serip, RT 003/RW 002, Nongsa, had also previously protested after their water supply stopped for five months.

Residents in the area had asked for water from Duriangkang Reservoir to be supplied to their neighborhood, saying the supply from Nongsa Reservoir was no longer sufficient for local needs.

One resident, Rizgi, said residents wanted clean water to flow normally again.

“The water in our area has been off for five months. We are only asking for our right to have clean water that can flow normally,” Rizgi said during the protest on 5 October 2026.

Residents also said they hoped water from Duriangkang Reservoir could be supplied to their area.

“We hope water from Duriangkang Reservoir can be channeled to our housing area. We were informed that water from Nongsa Reservoir has been widely used for the needs of Data Center areas,” Rizgi said.

This article is a summary of two original articles. The full versions can be read at the following links:

https://www.cnbcindonesia.com/tech/20261006081941-37-773616/warga-batam-mengeluh-tak-dapat-air-sejak-ada-data-center

https://www.batamnews.co.id/berita-130679-5-bulan-air-mati-150-warga-kavling-bakau-nongsa-demo-tuntut-air-bersih.html

PHOTO: LIPUTAN6.COM

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