The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is rolling out a new unified digital module to streamline water supply services, billing, and reconnections.
The digital transition is expected to enhance transparency, ease of access, and service delivery for millions of residents across the city. The unified system, being launched under the Water Supply and Drainage Department, will replace existing decentralised modules with an integrated, cloud-based platform operating through the State Government’s Software Development Centre (SDC). This move is part of a broader effort to modernise municipal services and bring consistency across water connection processes, billing, and citizen interface tools.
Officials from KMC confirmed that the enhanced system will offer round-the-clock accessibility across multiple devices, including desktops and laptops, empowering both municipal staff and the public to handle water-related applications and payments more efficiently. The digital solution also aims to resolve longstanding concerns around delays in reconnections, disconnections, and fee processing, often mired in paperwork and bureaucratic lag. The civic body emphasised that the module is designed in alignment with the Ease of Doing Business (EODB) objectives of the state government. With this implementation, the Common Application Form (CAF) for water connections will be better integrated into a single platform, reducing approval times and eliminating manual bottlenecks.
Beyond operational benefits, the module is also expected to make KMC’s billing process more citizen-friendly. Water connection and drainage fees will now be generated with barcodes, enabling easy tracking and secure digital payments. Officials highlighted that the system will also allow applications and billing queries to be submitted and resolved online, minimising physical visits to KMC offices. As per experts familiar with the initiative, the decision to host the system on cloud servers is central to ensuring resilience, data security, and uninterrupted access during service hours. “This cloud-first approach will ensure scalability as the city grows and demands on the water infrastructure increase,” said a senior municipal official involved in the rollout. The system is also intended to integrate well with future smart city components, including real-time water monitoring and usage analytics.
The municipal corporation’s IT department will lead the implementation, beginning with structured training sessions for Water Supply and Drainage Department personnel. The phased rollout will ensure minimal disruption to existing services, with backup support in place to manage any transitional issues. Post-deployment, KMC has committed to providing ongoing technical assistance and system monitoring to ensure the new digital infrastructure operates smoothly. This latest digital shift comes at a time when urban water management is under pressure across Indian cities due to rising population, climate-related water scarcity, and inefficient legacy systems. With urban governance increasingly leaning towards digital solutions, Kolkata’s model could set a precedent for other municipalities seeking to modernise essential civic services while aligning with broader goals of sustainability and smart infrastructure.
Experts in civic planning and digital public infrastructure believe the new module will not only reduce turnaround time for water connection services but also offer valuable data for planning future water supply networks. Real-time dashboards, audit trails, and user analytics could feed into long-term infrastructure development plans, they suggested. For citizens, this transition marks a step towards easier and more equitable access to basic services. Residents often report delays and inconsistencies in water billing, with some neighbourhoods facing prolonged disruptions due to manual lapses in the reconnection processes. A standardised, tech-driven module may help bridge these gaps and bring greater accountability. While the module’s success will depend on how well it is adopted on the ground, KMC officials are optimistic. The module’s citizen-centric design and integrated digital framework offer the promise of more responsive urban water governance in Kolkata, they said.
The larger vision aligns with the principles of sustainable urbanisation — ensuring essential services like clean water are efficiently delivered, fairly priced, and digitally accessible to all. With robust implementation and continued investment in IT infrastructure, Kolkata could take a lead role among Indian cities working toward smart, zero-net-carbon, and inclusive public service delivery models.
Kolkata adopts digital module for seamless water supply services
