Investigation of Methods and Motives for Water Theft in A Suburb Township

Abstract

Theft of water from water urban authorities is fast growing to a level of severe concern with the perpetrators moving several steps ahead of water utility companies. Consequently, counter-measures that are in tandem with the ever-changing business environment are greatly desired to empower water utility companies with effective methods to prevent the ever-growing water theft challenges. To ascertain the significance of the methods used to steal water, a study was undertaken in one of the suburbs of Blantyre in Malawi. A questionnaire survey was employed to elicit data on the methods used for stealing water and the motivations behind the thefts. The results indicated that the most prevalent method for stealing water was bursting pipes followed by vandalizing. Poor service was the most compelling reason behind water theft from the water utility company. The severity indices for the constructs used to steal water in this study can be used to design intervention frameworks for water utility companies. Additionally, iso-theft-index maps can be produced for suburb areas where water utility companies have water distribution networks to guide surveillance operations. Keywords: water theft methods, non-revenue water, challenges, Malawi DOI: 10.7176/JEES/12-8-04 Publication date: August 31 st 2022