08/06/2026

MONDAY | JUNE 8, 2026

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‘Data centre boom could pressure urban zones’

Govt to strengthen food bank programme

KOTA KINABALU: The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry plans to strengthen the Ihsan Food Bank (i-FB) programme this year through the development of a comprehensive action plan aimed at enhancing its implementation nationwide. Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said the initiative would serve as a guide for all stakeholders involved in carrying out the programme more effectively and systematically. “We intend to strengthen the i-FB programme so that we can develop and publish an action plan that will serve as a reference for all parties involved in implementing the initiative,” he told reporters after officiating at the Ihsan Food Bank (i-FB) Initiative Programme yesterday. He added that the action plan would help align the direction and objectives of the programme while improving coordination among participating organisations and agencies. He also called on the private sector, non-governmental organisations (NGO) and related institutions to participate in the initiative, either as food contributors or as partners in distribution efforts and the identification of target groups. Armizan said the involvement of various stakeholders would help create a more conducive ecosystem for the programme and ensure its objectives are achieved in a more organised and effective manner. “The i-FB initiative emphasises the values of kindness and compassion by encouraging society to work together in caring for communities, particularly vulnerable and underserved groups. “It combines three main objectives; caring for the community, protecting the environment and rescuing surplus food that remains safe for consumption.” On the programme’s implementation, Armizan said QSR Brands (M) Holdings Bhd was among the ministry’s earliest strategic partners in strengthening the initiative through the i-FB@KFC project. The project currently involves 10 KFC restaurants in Sabah working in collaboration with 10 NGO to distribute surplus food to those in need. He added that the initiative would be expanded nationwide in phases, with the participation of more restaurants, NGO and related institutions to enhance food rescue efforts and provide greater assistance to vulnerable communities. He added that the expansion reflects the government’s commitment to reducing food waste while strengthening food security support for those most in need. – Bernama

infrastructure. No single authority is evaluating the cumulative impact of the facilities on an urban area as a whole.“ Universiti Malaya Institute for Advanced Studies senior lecturer and urban planning expert Dr Fong Chng Saun said data centres should no longer be viewed solely as digital infrastructure, as their physical footprint carries direct implications for land use, water security, energy demand and urban liveability. “In mature townships, hyperscale data centres should not be treated as ordinary commercial or light industrial projects.“ While acknowledging the economic value of data centre investments, he said rapid approvals risk creating a perception that investment priorities are moving faster than liveability considerations. He called for stronger safeguards, including transparent siting criteria, cumulative impact assessments, noise modelling, utility-capacity studies, water and energy disclosure requirements, emergency risk planning and meaningful community engagement before approvals were granted. “What appears to be missing is an integrated planning lens. Data centres sit at the intersection of land use, energy, water, climate resilience and digital economy policy, yet decision-making often remains fragmented across multiple agencies.” Fong said cities risked losing their liveability balance when infrastructure designed to serve the digital economy began shifting its environmental and social costs onto residents through noise, heat and pressure on public utilities. “In my view, data centres should be planned as strategic infrastructure, preferably clustered in suitable zones with clear buffers, renewable energy pathways, water efficiency requirements and transparent monitoring. “For mature residential or mixed-use townships, the planning test should be stricter.“

country’s total electricity generation capacity. He also said concentrating large facilities within existing urban networks could strain electricity supplies, water systems and surrounding communities, adding that a single 100-megawatt data centre could consume up to four million litres of water daily for cooling, equivalent to the needs of a small town. “The challenge is not just electricity. Water infrastructure is increasingly becoming a limiting factor.“ Ammirrul said beyond resource consumption, some of the most overlooked impacts were those felt directly by residents living nearby. “People often assume data centres operate quietly, but the constant hum generated by cooling systems, ventilation equipment and backup generators could create persistent low frequency noise. “This is capable of penetrating residential buildings, potentially affecting sleep quality and increasing stress levels. “The facilities could also intensify localised urban heat island effects by releasing large volumes of extracted heat into the surrounding environment, raising ambient temperatures in nearby neighbourhoods.” He added that routine testing of diesel-powered backup generators may contribute to localised air pollution through emissions of particulate matter and nitrogen oxides, while chemically treated cooling water discharged into municipal sewer systems could place additional burdens on treatment facilities. He also questioned whether Malaysia’s existing environmental impact assessment (EIA) framework was sufficiently equipped to evaluate the long-term infrastructure burden posed by hyperscale facilities, adding that data centres are not explicitly listed as prescribed activities requiring comprehensive federal EIA. “The current EIA process was developed long before the rise of hyperscale data centres and AI

o Existing utilities not meant to support extensive resource demand, says academic

Ű BY HARITH KAMAL newsdesk@thesundaily.com

Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Nga Kor Ming said the high-impact project, valued at RM80.5 million, would bring an end to more than five decades of flood-related concerns among residents and is scheduled for completion on May 19, 2028. “In less than 30 months, we will witness a new face of Teluk Intan. Once this project is completed, it will feature dedicated cycling and jogging tracks, and plans are also in place for a floating restaurant. “I am confident that when this project is completed in 2028, we will be able to declare Teluk Intan a flood-free zone,” he told reporters after attending a briefing on the Phase One Integrated River Basin Development Project for Sungai Perak and the Phase Two Teluk Intan RTB Zone A project, along with related works in the Lower Perak district yesterday. During the event, Nga also launched the Teluk Intan RTB Zone A Phase Two project, which commenced in December last year. He expressed confidence that the project would emerge as a new tourism attraction for the town, complementing the iconic Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan with its recreational facilities and planned floating restaurant. “When the Teluk Intan Smart RTB is completed, PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s ambition to become Southeast Asia’s next digital infrastructure powerhouse is colliding with an increasingly urgent question: Can the country’s cities keep pace with the relentless demands of a runaway data centre boom? What was once largely invisible infrastructure powering cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a visible urban planning challenge, particularly in mature townships where new data centre developments are being proposed near established residential neighbourhoods. Urban planners and infrastructure experts say while data centres are expected to bring billions of ringgit in investments and strengthen Malaysia’s position as a regional digital hub, their vast appetite for electricity, water and land could place growing pressure on ageing urban systems if expansion is not carefully managed. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment senior lecturer Dr Muhammad Ammirrul Atiqi Mohd Zainuri said existing utilities in mature urban areas were never designed to accommodate multiple hyperscale facilities operating continuously at industrial-scale capacity. “Urban grids are built for mixed residential and commercial use, not facilities running 24 hours a day at maximum load.” He added that data centre power requests across Peninsular Malaysia have surpassed 11,000 megawatts – equivalent to nearly half the

Teluk Intan set to be flood-free by 2028: Minister TELUK INTAN: Teluk Intan is expected to be declared a flood-free zone by 2028 through the implementation of the Phase Two Teluk Intan Flood Mitigation Plan, also known as the Teluk Intan Smart RTB project, which is currently in progress.

Nga surveys the project site in Teluk Intan alongside Pasir Bedamar exco Woo Kah Leong (in blue pants), Jajahan Hilir Perak Orang Besar Datuk Mejar (Honorary) Meor Redwan Mahayudin (second from right) and other officials. – BERNAMAPIC

campaign at RM1,000 for one tree. The donors’ names will be permanently engraved on the trees as a tribute to their contribution.” Nga said the initiative aims to foster a sense of ownership among contributors and encourage greater community involvement in the development and beautification of the town. – Bernama

the ministry will undertake a beautification programme in collaboration with various agencies and departments, including a large-scale tree-planting initiative. “We have identified the White Bucida Tree for planting along the seven-kilometre cycling and jogging corridor. “Today, we are also launching a tree donation