BWSSB's AI chatbot to tell it all about water supply and disruption

Bengaluru: To enable easy communication with the public and provide information about water supply disruptions and the state of water supply, the BWSSB is developing an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based chatbot that will be launched within the next two weeks. 

According to Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) Chairman Ramprasat Manohar V, the chatbot will help reach more customers easily. 

“Using this, we can establish a direct communication channel with consumers and reach out to more people at any given point in time,” he said. 

Initially, the chatbot will be pre-loaded with a few important modules such as the water availability situation and the most common grievances. 

Using the chatbot, customers can easily register their grievances or even access the contact numbers they can reach out to get the issues resolved. “Using the preloaded information, the chatbot will answer the queries raised by the customers. It is as simple as sending a question and receiving an answer,” yet another official said. 

Going ahead, officials plan to integrate more modules into the chatbot so that all BWSSB services are available to consumers at their fingertips. 

“From getting a water connection to queries related to billing and servicing, we want to include all the services in a phased manner,” Manohar said. 

Consumers who frequently raise complaints with the BWSSB welcomed the move as this could act as a one-stop solution. 

“Now, in a few areas, residents know the contact numbers of officers and contact them directly. But not all of us know who to contact and many times we wait for the BWSSB’s water adalat to raise queries. Given the situation, the chatbot will come in handy to raise grievances and know more about the board’s services,” said Vasantha L S, a resident of Rajajinagar.