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The National Drought Group (NDG) in the UK has warned that data centres are putting a strain on the water supply. This is also a worry in many countries. The group did not say to what degree these facilities are causing drought conditions in parts of the UK. The centres use up to 10 billion litres of water per year to cool their facilities. One water company said a large data centre can use as much water as 50,000 households. Despite environmental concerns, the UK is pushing ahead to build many more data centres. The UK said the centres were essential for economic growth.
The NDG has asked people to cut back on the water they use. One measure is to delete unwanted emails and large images. This could cut the demand for water as data centres require huge amounts of water to cool their systems. The NDG chairperson said a simple everyday action such as deleting email will "really help the collective effort to reduce demand and help preserve the health of our rivers and wildlife". However, experts say the water saved from deleting files stored in the cloud is merely a drop in the ocean and may not help with water shortages.
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