The Smart Cities Mission (SCM), initiated by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in 2017, aimed to make Indian cities technologically advanced by strengthening governance and service delivery. As the mission drew to a close, the SAAR–Sameksha initiative commissioned 50 impact assessment studies through prestigious academic institutions to document outcomes, engage students in urban development, and enable knowledge exchange between urban practice and academia.

NIUA's Water and Environment vertical led the assessment for ICT use in water supply and sewerage services, covering a secondary assessment of all 100 Smart Cities and an in-depth primary assessment of four cities — Agra, Rajkot, Solapur, and Thoothukudi. Interventions assessed include SCADA applications in water and wastewater treatment plants and pumping stations, DMA zonation, smart metering, 24×7 water supply, smart water management, water auditing, smart grids for wastewater reuse, smart toilets, IoT-based flow metering, pipeline laying, household sewer connections, and augmentation of STPs and WTP sources.

The study evaluates these interventions through the lens of governance, service level improvements, and citizens' perspectives, identifies implementation challenges, and provides recommendations for similar missions at the national, state, and city levels.