MONROVIA, September 30(LINA) -The Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC) says it has identified 10,000 families that are illegally using its water services in the Paynesville suburb, outside Monrovia.

LWSC Managing Director Charles Allen said a pilot customer enumeration exercise conducted last year revealed that these people, who are not in the data base of the corporation, have been using its water without paying a cent.

Allen told a news conference Monday at the LWSC Operation Plant in Sinkor that management was discussing with the Liberia Telecommunications Corporation to use its old facility in Paynesville to do house- to-house mapping of all those who are using its water in that community.

According to him, management has already divided the Paynesville community into six zones to ensure the successful conduct of the exercise next month, warning that the lines of illegal water users will be ripped and not installed until they regularize their status.

He said the corporation will conduct similar exercise in central Monrovia, Congo Town and Bushrod Island, among other areas, following the completion of the Paynesville exercise, the Liberia News Agency reports.

Although the LWSC Managing Director did not state exactly how much money the entity was losing as a result of the water theft, he described it as huge.

At the same time, Managing Director Allen said the lack of logistics, including sewer trucks, vehicles, pipes and other essentials is impeding the effective operation of the corporation.

He disclosed that the LWSC is currently using few old vehicles for operation and one old sewer truck to transport sewer from Monrovia and its environs to its solid waste site in Fiamah.

Allen also stressed the for more support to the state-owned entity because it is a key factor in the Agenda for Transformation, adding that water remains one of the main items that impact development.
LINA HVW/GDJ/TSS/PTK