Revealed: Where stolen water meters in Dodoma end up

**DODOMA: **The theft of water meters is on the rise in Tanzania’s capital, Dodoma, with investigations by the Dodoma Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Authority (DUWASA) revealing that some thieves melt down the metal parts of stolen meters to make bracelets, earrings, and rings.

DUWASA Managing Director Engineer Aron Joseph made the revelation on Monday afternoon during a meeting with journalists in Dodoma, saying in just three months, a total of 103 water meters had reportedly been stolen, disrupting water services for customers.

The director said customers were being forced to dig deeper into their pockets to replace the stolen meters, at a combined cost of more than 12m/-.

He urged residents to report such incidents of vandalism against DUWASA infrastructure, which hinder the provision of this essential service in the city.

“Based on the investigations we have conducted, many of them melt the meters down and use the metal to make bracelets and rings. Since the meters bear the DUWASA logo and the name ‘DUWASA’, who would they sell them to?” he said.

He said most of customers reported the theft of the devices are those whose meters were installed outside their gates or fences, calling residents to protect them in order to avoid inconveniences that may be resulted.

“From the time I last spoke about this issue until today, covering a period of three months, the statistics show that 103 meters have been stolen. That translates to an average of more than 30 meters per month. Many are taken away for this purpose, while others are sold as scrap metal. The thieves take them to scrap metal dealers,” he explained.

He said such incidents have become a challenge for us as an authority and for residents as well because they create uncertainty, causing a significant financial loss for customers, and disrupts the authority’s provision of services.

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He cited Section 47(1) of the Water Supply and Sanitation Act No. 5 of 2019 which directs that water meters to be installed outside a customer’s gate or fence, in consultation with the customer.

However, Eng Joseph said DUWASA do not install meters without involving the property owner.

According to him, the authority work with the customer to identify the appropriate location where the meter can be installed safely and where it will be accessible for meter readings and verification.

“Every customer must know where their meter is located so that they can help protect it. This also helps DUWASA verify the meter readings. “However, some residents neglect their meters. They do not monitor them or give their protection the attention they deserve,” he noted.

The Managing director strongly urged residents to help safeguard their meters saying some have gone extra mile to build protective structures around them, while others have installed small protective boxes to make it more difficult for thieves to remove them.

In fact, he explained, more than 70 percent of our customers in Dodoma have their meters installed inside their fences.

“However, installing meters inside fences is technically contrary to the regulations. Nevertheless, we must listen to residents because they are important stakeholders,” he said.

In such scenario, Eng Joseph said, DUWASA imposes certain conditions when installing a meter inside a customer’s fence to avoid tampering with devices.

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