Artificial lake in Matola filled from clandestine connection

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Artificial lake in Matola filled from clandestine connection

9:59 CAT | 11 Jun 2019

Photo: Savana

A Maputo Water Company (AdeM) customer clandestinely filled an artificial lake in a field in the Patrice Lumumba neighbourhood, municipality of Matola, Maputo province, for six consecutive months, costing the company more than one million meticais

Detected during a campaign to identify and remove clandestine and irregular connections in Maputo, Matola and Boane district, the connection was cut off by a technical team from AdeM after attempts to resolve the case with the customer failed.

It is estimated that the artificial lagoon, used to irrigate banana trees and vegetable gardens, used 50,000 litres of water per day, enough to supply about 100 customers. In monetary terms, the loss corresponds to an average of 6,000 meticais per day, which for six months amounts to more than one million meticais.

Speaking at the scene, AdeM’s Machava Operational Area Commercial Manager Isabel Maculuve explained that, as a result of the large amount of water stolen via this illegal connection, the company had decided to cease supply and proceed with legal action.

A criminal complaint has been made against the alleged perpetrator at a police station in the Patrice Lumumba neighbourhood, which has formally notified the alleged offender.

“We approached him at his residence, but he was not interested in collaborating to solve the problem, which is why we decided to refer the case to the competent authorities,” Maculuve said. The client has a history of debts for unpaid water consumption.

AdeM had recently cut off his residence, but he would simply restore supply himself, damaging the water meter in the process. “He does not want to collaborate with us, much less acknowledge [what he had done]. He just said we could do what we liked, but there would be consequences,” Maculuve reported.

Source: Savana