Water Corporation of Odisha pilots smart water meters in 5 cities, to expand DFT to 17 more ULBs

The utility has also increased water supply capacity to 988.89 MLD, significantly exceeding the current urban demand of 700.67 MLD.

WATCO managing director Debabrata Mohanty told TNIE that the smart meters will replace existing meters without any additional cost burden on consumers. (Express illustration)

BHUBANESWAR: The Water Corporation of Odisha (WATCO) is all set to replace mechanical water meters with smart meters in urban areas of the state.

Housing and Urban Development minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra said the corporation has started installing smart water meters in five cities on a pilot basis. “Around 50,000 smart water meters will be installed in Bhubaneswar, Puri, Cuttack, Rourkela and Berhampur in the first phase. The effort is to improve billing efficiency, reduce water wastage and strengthen resource management through smart monitoring systems,” Mahapatra said.

WATCO managing director Debabrata Mohanty told TNIE that the smart meters will replace existing meters without any additional cost burden on consumers. Around 20,000 smart meters will be installed in Bhubaneswar, 10,000 in Cuttack and the rest in Rourkela, Berhampur and Puri, he said.

Mohanty said, the smart meters will help in real-time tracking of water use and in water audit, especially for the non-revenue water, which is treated and pumped but lost before reaching the users, generating no income for the utility, Mohanty said. The minister also reviewed other projects and informed that WATCO has achieved a major milestone by ensuring 100 per cent household water supply coverage across all 29 urban local bodies (ULBs) under its jurisdiction.

As of March 2026, officials said WATCO is managing a comprehensive urban water supply network serving an estimated population of over 4.91 million through 7,63,082 household connections. It has also implemented the ‘Drink from Tap’ (DFT) initiative, which currently provides 24x7 potable water supply in 11 ULBs. Work is actively underway to extend the DFT system to 17 additional urban areas including Konark, officials said. The utility has also increased water supply capacity to 988.89 MLD, significantly exceeding the current urban demand of 700.67 MLD. The corporation is currently executing major infrastructure projects worth Rs 2,658.47 crore across the state, which include 130 MLD water treatment plant in Bhubaneswar.