Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The Housing and Urban Development Department of Odisha had a strategic meeting with a high-level team from the Indore Municipal Corporation to discuss replicating the state’s flagship “Drink From Tap” (DFT) campaign and its 24×7 urban water delivery model. After a thorough exposure tour to examine Odisha’s urban water reforms carried out by the Odisha Water Supply and Sewerage Board, the group, led by Indore Municipal Commissioner Kshitij Singhal, visited Additional Chief Secretary Usha Padhee at Unnati Bhawan.
Padhee emphasized at the discussion that cutting-edge technology and robust community involvement are the two pillars of Odisha’s urban development. The Odisha Urban Academy is prepared to offer training and capacity-building assistance to cities looking to implement comparable citizen-centric water management systems, she said, adding that the state is dedicated to exchanging best practices. The delegation’s field visits to important project locations came after the consultation. The crew visited a water treatment plant in Puri, the nation’s first city to guarantee a 24-hour supply of clean drinking water, and spoke with “Jala Sathis” to learn about community-led service delivery systems.
In order to provide equitable access, the group traveled to Salia Sahi in Bhubaneswar to evaluate inclusive water delivery schemes in informal communities. In order to examine real-time monitoring systems, such as pressure management, smart metering, and automatic quality control that ensure continuous water delivery, the team also took a tour of the SCADA-based Command and Control Center. Singhal praised Odisha’s approach, saying that Indore can learn a lot from its use of technology and grassroots involvement. WATCO officials reaffirmed that maintaining public awareness and community involvement are essential to realizing the “Drink From Tap” objective, even while strong infrastructure serves as the foundation for round-the-clock delivery.
