KINGSTON, Jamaica – The National Water Commission (NWC) says there has been a significant increase in reports of water meters being stolen from customers’ premises in several locations across the island.

Previously, the commission said it had received reports mainly from customers in St Catherine and Kingston and St Andrew.

Vice-president of customer service delivery Michael Dunn indicated that during last year the commission lost an average of just over 20 meters to theft each month.

Dunn said that these incidents of theft not only disrupts water supply to customers, but also increases non-revenue water by wasting hundreds of litres of the commodity each time, flooding customer premises and draining supplies from the NWC network.

He explained that the commission is also left with the cost of deploying staff to treat with these incidents as well as replacing these critical devices used in the delivery of service to its customers.

While some reports continue to come in from the parishes of St Catherine and Kingston and St Andrew, since the beginning of this year NWC has responded to approximately 70 such reports in St Ann as well, with more than 30 such reports in May alone.

 The NWC said it will continue to investigate each case of meter theft in conjunction with the police.

NWC is urging customers, especially in parts of Kingston and St Andrew, St Catherine and St Ann, to be on the look-out for these ‘unscrupulous water meter thieves’ and to report any information they have to the police and the NWC.

It said it regrets the inconvenience experienced by affected customers, and warns perpetrators that the full force of the law will be applied to these acts of theft and vandalism.