Kolkata: With water meters getting stolen frequently, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is facing a tough challenge in monitoring the usage of water in the added areas of the city. According to data provided by KEIIP (Kolkata Environmental Improvement Investment Programme), which is installing such meters since June 2022, to date, 1204 water metres have gone missing which is 12 per cent of the meters installed. In the first year (from June 2022 to May 2023), the missing figure was a meagre 30 but it increased from June 2023 with 698 meters going missing till December 2023. It was in August 2023 when over 221 meters were stolen. In the first four months of this year, the figure has already reached 469.
“We have lodged several complaints with the local police station with general diaries against every single case of such meters going missing, as well as with the police top brass in Lalbazar. Situations have slightly improved this month with only 16 meters missing. In October 2023, there were 25 missing cases but the figure climbed to 98 in November and rose further to 158 in December,” a KMC official said.
Police investigations revealed that the water meters are being stolen by drug addicts who aim to earn a few bucks by selling the metallic part inside such meters. “The missing cases are being reported from wards 101, 102, 110 and 107 that cover Patuli and its adjacent areas. However, surprisingly in the Joka area there are hardly such incidents reported,” the official added.
Meters were installed to monitor wastage of water. As per estimates by KMC’s Water Supply department, each person is supposed to get 150 litres for his or her daily needs. However, it was found that a family of five members are consuming around 1,500 litres daily. KMC had first installed water metres in wards 1 to 6 that covers Cossipore and its adjacent areas in North Kolkata where only a handful of such cases
were reported.
“We have to replace the ones that went missing but we are really struggling to arrive at an outcome about water wastage with so many instances of theft,” the official said.