The Punjab Water Supply & Sewerage Board was set up under the Punjab Act No. 28 of 1976 for the purpose of regulation and development of drinking water supply and sewerage services in the urban areas of the Punjab State. Prior to the formation of pwssb such services were being performed by the Punjab, PWD, Public Health Deptt. The functions of the Board as defined in the Act are as under: –

• Investigating and surveying the requirements of water supply and sewerage;
• Planning and preparing schemes including schemes covering areas falling within the jurisdiction of more than one local authority for the purpose of providing the supply of drinking water or sewerage facilities;
• Executing schemes under the phased programme for the provision of drinking water and sewerage facilities within the areas of local authorities to which such schemes relate;
• Executing such drinking water supply or sewerage facilities schemes as may be transferred by the Government from the Department of Public Health to the Board;
• Working out priorities with the approval of the government and drawing up a detailed programme of executing the schemes;
• Laying down the norm of staff to be employed by a local authority for the maintenance of water supply and sewerage works which the local authority concerned shall notwithstanding anything contained in any other law, take into consideration while employing the additional staff necessitated by such works;
• Any matter which is supplemental, incidental or consequential to any of the above functions;
• Such other functions as may be prescribed.

The pwssb since its 37 years of its existence has executed many prestigious water supply and sewerage projects like World Bank aided Water supply & Sewerage Project, Urban Renewal Project for Water Supply and Sewerage services, HUDCO – aided Water Supply and Sewerage Projects, prevention of Pollution of river Satluj and West Bein, Accelerated Water Supply Project, to name a few.
At present, the Board is executing a number of projects for water supply and sewerage services in the urban areas and the main projects under execution are under JNNURM, Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium towns, PIDB aided Water Supply & Sewerage Schemes, setting up of Sewage Treatment Plants under River Action Plan, JICA – aided Sewerage Project of Amritsar.