Bhubaneswar: The Public Health Engineering Organisation (Pheo) has started the process to develop a comprehensive geo-spatial database of water utility assets in the city using the Geographical Information System (GIS).

The drive aims to ensure timely repair and maintenance of the water utility assets such as overhead and underground tanks, pumping stations, surface and underground pipelines, sewer lines and so on.

Sources said that using the web database, the officials will be able to monitor performance of the assets with ease and extend timely repair and maintenance services.

The housing and urban development department has invited an agency, which will survey, collect system maps available with various line offices and start creating the online database. The assets will be tagged to a satellite imagery-based map of the city.

"The database will help us track the performance of various water utility assets and opt for timely repairs and maintenance. The utility will be tagged to the map and make our job easier, and it will facilitate our officials reach out to the exact address on time," said Pheo superintending engineer C.R. Jena.

According to the plan, the agency will conduct the survey and map underground water supply and sewer network assets to show their precise location, alignment and depth below the ground level and surface features. The mapping of surface assets will show their precise locations based on image interpretation.

Earlier last year, Pheo had initiated the process to develop the database when the task was conferred to the Water Corporation of Odisha. Later, the plan had been amended, and it was decided to complete the database creation under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation scheme. Similar databases will be created for Cuttack, Berhampur, Sambalpur, Rourkela and Puri.

A senior department official told The Telegraph that in the next phase, they would create a similar database for municipal assets such as roads, storm water drains, culvert, bridges, street lights, hospitals, educational institutions, bus shelters, markets, slaughterhouses, and parks among others.