Amazon Web Services (AWS) CEO Adam Selipsky (pictured) pledged to return more water to communities than it uses in its cloud operations by 2030 as part of a scheme to become water positive.

The company detailed replenishment programmes in the US, UK and India as part of the goal, claiming a water use efficiency (WUE) metric of 0.25 litres of water per kilowatt-hour achieved in 2021 placed it well on the road to achieving the target.

On the opening day of its AWS re:Invent conference, Selipsky stated water scarcity “is a major issue around the world and with today’s water positive announcement we are committing to do our part to help solve this rapidly growing challenge”.

AWS stated the latest replenishment projects would provide more than 823 million litres of water to communities each year when they are completed.

In the US, AWS will partner with the conservation non-profit The Freshwater Trust and the Omochumne-Hartnell Water District to “recharge 189 million litres of groundwater per year” using winter water from the Cosumnes River that will increase water flows during the dry summer months.

AWS plans to work with The Rivers Trust and Action for the River Kennet in the UK to create two wetlands on a tributary of the River Thames which will recharge more than 587 million litres of groundwater per year.

In India, the cloud provider will continue to support WaterAid to complete projects in Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh which are expected to supply 500 households, approximately 2,100 people, with an estimated 47 million litres of water per year.

AWS plans to report annually on its WUE metric, new reuse and recycling efforts, activities to reduce consumption in its facilities, and advances in new and existing replenishment projects.