KINGSTON, Jamaica — The National Irrigation Commission Limited (NIC) says that several of its water meters in the Lakes Pen area of St Catherine have been stolen.

In a news release from the NIC on Wednesday, Milton Henry, director of engineering and technical services at the commission, appealed to members of the public to desist from stealing NIC’s property.

“The NIC has been grappling with this problem for years. We have lost millions of dollars due to the theft of our property. This has led to disruption of our operations and significant inconvenience to customers,” he said.

The incident has been reported to the Spanish Town Police Station, which is investigating the matter.

Persons are reminded that the theft of NIC’s property is a criminal offence which can lead to a three-year custodial sentence under the Irrigation Act.

The NIC is an agency within the Ministry of Agriculture that was established to manage, operate, maintain and expand existing and future irrigation schemes and systems.