In a unique move to combat its deepening drought crisis, the UK’s National Drought Group is asking citizens to delete old emails, unused photos, and other digital clutter. While the request may seem unusual, the rationale lies in the massive water usage by data centres, which require vast amounts of water to cool their servers. By reducing the amount of stored data, authorities believe the burden on these facilities—and thereby the national water supply—can be lessened.

Helen Wakeham, Director of Water at the Environment Agency, emphasized the gravity of the situation, describing it as “nationally significant.” She appealed to the public to contribute through everyday actions, including turning off taps, fixing leaks, and deleting unnecessary digital files, as part of a broader effort to safeguard rivers and wildlife.

The drought has already led to formal declarations in regions like Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, the Midlands, Cumbria, and Merseyside. Reservoir levels in these areas are down to just 67.7%, significantly lower than the typical 80.5%.

Data centres are a major concern. Traditional cooling systems in smaller facilities can consume over 25 million litres of water annually. Larger centres, like Google’s in Oregon, have reported using over 355 million gallons in a single year—enough to fill more than 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools. As the demand for AI and cloud-based services continues to rise, so too will the water usage of these centres.

In addition to digital decluttering, the public is being encouraged to take water-saving steps at home—such as collecting rainwater, using grey water for plants, fixing household leaks, and shortening shower durations.