Nagpur: Congress MLA Vijay Wadettiwar on Friday demanded a ban on coal washeries in Chandrapur district and a halt to new data centres, saying the state cannot afford their water use amid a looming drinking water crisis.Wadettiwar said the situation would worsen from next month. He said, “Districts that never needed tankers before now need them. The govt has ordered that no one should draw water, yet Pimpri Chinchwad officials have allowed about 22 lakh sq ft of construction. Those permissions must be cancelled immediately.”On coal washeries, he said, “One tonne of coal needs 1,500 litres of water to wash. These washeries in Chandrapur district should be shut at once. Farmers were stopped from drawing tank water because 20% had to be kept in reserve, and if the water now goes to washeries, the consequences will be huge.”Wadettiwar said he would write to the chief minister on data centres. He said, “No new data centre should start now. I am not opposed to them, but we cannot afford such water use. This is not my report but a govt report, and it says they will need 884 MLD of water.”
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