Notices by Ariadne (ariadne@climatejustice.social)

‘It’s pillage’: thirsty Uruguayans decry Google’s plan to exploit water supply - Country suffering its worst #drought in 74 years, with government even mixing saltwater into drinking supply.

A plan to build a Google data centre that will use millions of litres of water a day has sparked anger in #Uruguay, which is suffering its worst drought in 74 years.

Water shortages are so severe in the country that a state of emergency has been declared in #Montevideo and the authorities have added salty water to the public drinking water supplies, prompting widespread protests.

Critics claim that the government is prioritising water for transnationals and agribusiness at the expense of its own citizens. Daniel Pena, a researcher at the University of the Republic in Montevideo, said: “Only a tiny proportion of water in Uruguay is used for human consumption. The majority is used for big agro industries, such as soya, rice and wood pulping. Now we have #Google planning to use enormous quantities of water.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/11/uruguay-drought-water-google-data-center

#Water #WaterRights #SouthAmerica #LatinAmerica #Capitalism #CapitalismKills