Amid rushed AI‑driven infrastructure growth and tightened environmental approvals, residents in southern Johor rally against pollution and amenities risks.
Malaysia has just seen its first public protest against its fast‑expanding data center industry, as residents in Johor push back against dust, health risks, and mounting pressure on local water supplies.
On 7 February 2026, more than 50 people gathered outside a construction site in Gelang Patah, less than a kilometer from nearby homes, demanding an end to dust pollution, compensation for potential health impacts, and assurances that the facility will not further strain their water access. Watched by dozens of police officers, the protest marks a turning point in how the AI‑driven infrastructure boom is being received on the ground, with residents insisting that growth must not come at the cost of their health and basic utilities.
The project, being developed for China’s Zdata Technologies, had already drawn a stop‑work order in August 2025 over unauthorized earthworks, night-time construction, and poor site management, underscoring long‑standing friction between developers and the community.
The demonstration reflects wider unease over Johor’s role as South-east Asia’s fastest‑growing data center hub, where 51 projects worth about RM183bn have been approved, with 17 operational, 11 under construction, and 23 awaiting work.
Greener but meaner data centers?
In response to surging demand on water and electricity, Malaysian authorities have tightened approvals, announcing in November 2025 that they would no longer green‑light Tier 1 and Tier 2 facilities, which can consume up to 50m liter of water a day — equivalent to roughly 20 Olympic‑sized swimming pools.
State officials say these lower‑tier centers may use about 200 times more water than higher‑tier ones, prompting a shift toward “greener” data centers that rely on reclaimed water, advanced cooling technologies, and stricter environmental standards.
Water security has become a flashpoint after pollution in Sungai Johor had forced four treatment plants offline in November 2025, leaving around 1.8m residents without water for up to 12 hours, and prompting some families to bathe at mosques, and resort to collecting rainwater at home.
Johor has told data center operators to wait until mid‑2027 for new water allocations while it rushes to complete additional treatment plants, including Semanggar and Layang 2 Phase 2, which together will add hundreds of millions of liter per day.
At the federal level, Malaysia’s environment minister has signaled a more selective approach to data center approvals, warning that tech firms will soon have to pay a premium for water and energy as resource constraints bite.
