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Peru water company to install plastic manhole covers

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

As the number of manhole cover thefts increases in Peru's capital, SEDAPAL Water Company is evaluating weather it will change its metal covers for plastic ones, said company president Guillermo Leon Suematsu.

The head of the water company explained that the new covers would be made of a plastic that could withstand the weight of people and vehicles.

He added that the new lids would save the company a significant amount of money because it took fewer workers to install and were easier to put into place.

"What is most important is that pedestrians are kept out of harm's way," affirmed Leon, stating that citizens were being harmed by criminals interested in making money by selling the stolen manholes.

According to SEDAPAL, approximately 2,000 metal lids were stolen in the first semester of 2008.

The water company affirmed that each cover was worth approximately $100.

Leon explained that in the past the company attempted to decrease the number of robberies by making the manhole covers out of concrete.

He stated this solution had not been effective because the concrete lid had a metal frame.

"Now that the price of metal is increasing, this has turned into a business," said the head of SEDAPAL, reporting there were 125,000 lids in Lima and Callao.

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# Splaktar says :
22 August, 2008 [ 08:32 ]

Maybe if the police actually enforced the laws and worked rather than watching soccer or jabbering with all their friends and sending IM's all day long, then they would actually catch the people who are doing this.  Oh I forgot to mention the police who I have personally seen SLEEPING ON THE JOB!

It seems like asking the police to make sure this doesn't happen would be the correct thing to do.  I don't want to see them use plastic covers that are even easier to steal (the new family serving dish in the arenales?) and possibly dangerous to use.

Does SEDAPAL have any results from another major city that uses plastic manhole covers?  Has this strategy been proven to work?  Or are they just making things up as they go and endangering people's lives?

# Anonymous Dave says :
22 August, 2008 [ 09:35 ]

I wouldn't even be surprised to find a few manhole covers in the back of a police car.

I think the plastic covers are a good idea. If someone were to steal one, what could they possibly do with it?

# Bill says :
22 August, 2008 [ 09:47 ]

You'd be surprised.

# Paul says :
22 August, 2008 [ 14:07 ]

Sold for scrap.  Happens everywhere not just peru.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/foyle_and_west/7577022.stm

# Anonymous Dave says :
22 August, 2008 [ 18:22 ]

Not much of a market for scrap plastic.