Google’s $15 billion India data centre project battles water, wildlife concerns

Work to build Google's planned Indian data centre hub is in full swing, with a hillside above the site stripped to red earth and terraced into steps, but mounting opposition from environmentalists is creating hurdles for ‌the U.S. tech giant's $15 billion project. The southern state of Andhra Pradesh, governed by an ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has hailed the project ‌as historic and transformational, has denied allegations that the project was fast-tracked without weighing risks to water supplies and wildlife. But the growing opposition could become an early test for Google's biggest-ever India investment, which ​is facing several legal challenges over its impact on water supplies and proximity to a wildlife sanctuary that is home to leopards and pangolins.