Water Corporation Of Odisha Pilots Smart Meters In Five Cities

14 May 2026 CW Team

The Water Corporation of Odisha (WATCO) is set to replace mechanical water meters with smart meters in urban areas. The Housing and Urban Development minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra said the corporation has started installing smart meters in five cities on a pilot basis, with around 50,000 smart water meters to be installed in Bhubaneswar, Puri, Cuttack, Rourkela and Berhampur. The first phase will allocate 20,000 meters to Bhubaneswar, 10,000 to Cuttack and the remainder to the other cities.

The rollout aims to improve billing efficiency, reduce water wastage and strengthen resource management through smart monitoring systems, the managing director Debabrata Mohanty explained, and he indicated the replacement will not impose additional cost on consumers. The devices are intended to enable real time tracking of water use and to support water audit efforts, particularly to address non revenue water that is treated and pumped but lost before reaching users.

Officials reported that WATCO has achieved 100 per cent household water supply coverage across all 29 urban local bodies (ULBs) under its jurisdiction. As of March 2026 the utility manages a comprehensive urban water supply network serving an estimated population of 4.91 million through 763,082 household connections. The Drink From Tap initiative currently provides 24x7 potable water supply in 11 ULBs and work is under way to extend the system to 17 additional urban areas including Konark.

The corporation has increased water supply capacity to 988.89 mn litres per day, significantly exceeding the present urban demand of 700.67 mn litres per day. It is executing major infrastructure projects worth Rs 26,584.7 mn, which include a 130 mn litres per day water treatment plant in Bhubaneswar. Officials said the investments aim to support the smart meter rollout and the wider push for continuous potable supply.

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