Chennai Metrowater has made online applications and digital payment mandatory for new water and sewer connections in the city’s newly added areas, with officials expected to inspect and process applications within 15 days.
Residents must register through the Metrowater website, upload supporting documents and pay the applicable charges digitally. Field work for laying pipes, cutting roads and installing water meters will begin only after an application is approved, officials said.
The process is being introduced as Metrowater expands piped water supply and underground sewerage facilities in areas recently brought into the city’s service network. Water supply is available in parts of the Manali, Madhavaram, Valasaravakkam and Alandur zones, while treated water is being supplied in parts of Perungudi and Sholinganallur.
“Amid criticism of Metrowater services in the added areas, we are promoting online registration to improve transparency and make the process more convenient for residents,” an official said, according to the report.
Applicants must provide Greater Chennai Corporation property-tax assessment details, along with planning and building permissions issued by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority or the corporation, where applicable. A building completion certificate and proof of payment of Infrastructure Development Charges to CMDA, the corporation or Metrowater must also be submitted.
A rainwater-harvesting undertaking is mandatory for applicants. Buildings without a property-tax assessment will be charged an advance fee of ₹3,000 per Equivalent Dwelling Unit, or EDU.
For individual houses up to 500 sq ft, the water connection fee and sewerage connection fee are ₹100 each. For houses above 500 sq ft and up to 100 sq m, each connection costs ₹5,000. Buildings between 100 sq m and 200 sq m are charged ₹7,500 per EDU for each service.
Apartment units up to 200 sq m and commercial buildings are charged ₹7,500 per EDU for water and sewerage connections. Commercial rates will vary according to the type of establishment and its floor area. Road-cutting, pipe-laying and water-meter installation charges will be collected separately.
Metrowater has also provided an instalment option for households classified as Below Poverty Line. Under this provision, eligible households can pay a ₹100 connection fee in instalments. The online system is intended to bring applications, document submission and payments into one process as the utility extends services across the added areas.
