Information technology is taking on an increasingly important role in Indian urban governance, both in high-level policy announcements and localised innovations. However, the material and political landscape generated by widespread informal arrangements in urban governance is a challenging environment for these kind of reforms. Without adequately conceptualising and accounting for this, "smart" technological improvements will be limited at best. This article illustrates such a necessity by discussing urban water supply in two urban local bodies in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.