Bhubaneswar, Aug. 19: The state government has woken up to give an independent organisational shape to the Water Corporation of Odisha (Watco) two years after it was formed.

A housing and urban development department official said they had pulled up socks to make Watco functional in a move to ensure better service delivery and better management of drinking water and wastewater management. When The Telegraph asked him why the government took so long to get the organisation rolling, he said they could do little as various government agencies, including the finance department, failed to give timely approval to Watco.

Watco was formed in 2015 under the Companies Act, 2013, as a state government company to improve water supply and sewerage services in Bhubaneswar and neighbouring Khurda and Jatni.

"We recently held a meeting with the concerned department officials and forwarded them the proposal to give an organisational structure to Watco. Once it is approved, the company will get operational," said the official.

In the meeting it was decided that the Public Health Engineering Organisation (Pheo) and Watco would divide the works among themselves to ensure better drinking water and wastewater management. Accordingly, the finance department will approve the number of posts for Watco.

"At present, we look after the city's drinking water supply system, including laying pipelines, constructing overhead and underground reservoirs and installation of water metres in households. Once Watco gets operational, our work will get easier and more focused," said Pheo's superintending engineer C.R. Jena.

Sources said that the preparatory activities for functioning of Watco, such as service level benchmark, performance based service contract, organizational structuring, formulation of Watco Works Code, Watco financial regulations and GIS based asset mapping and valuation have been completed so far.

Once the organisational structure and necessary sanction for posts gets the approval of the government, Watco will get operational. of the housing and urban development department<>.

He hoped that the creation of Watco and transfer of responsibilities from the engineering organisation to Watco would substantially improve the efficiency of the urban drinking water and wastewater management.

Damana resident Hiralal Mohanty said the formation of Watco would become beneficial both for the residents and for the government.

"The city is getting enough drinking water. But in the absence of a mechanism, many areas are still deprived. If Watco is entrusted with the job, it would be easier for Pheo to ensure better water supply to other parts of the city," said Mohanty.