An alarming situation is witnessed in the municipality of Chisinau as regards the thefts of crude iron manhole covers, which became a profitable business for wrongdoers. In this connection, SA “Apa-Canal Chisinau” (ACC) warns that the unsecured manholes endanger the lives of people and the integrity of the water supply and sewerage networks. To prevent such illegalities, actions are needed not only on the part of the company and law enforcement bodies, but also of the people, IPN reports.

In a press release, ACC says that starting with this year, a number of inhabitants of Chisinau responded to the call made by the company and reported the absence of manhole lids and attempts to steal these. After the company’s specialists receive the calls, they inspect the place at the indicated address and take the necessary measures to ensure the security of pedestrians and traffic.

According to the supplier, more than 4,000 lids were stolen in 1999-2015 and the damage caused to the company amounted to almost 5 million lei. A crude iron cover costs about 1,300 lei. The manholes continue to be covered with reinforced concrete lids, because it is a cheaper method, but is not so efficient. It cannot be used in the case of the roadway.

There are about 100,000 manholes in the municipality of Chisinau. The residents can report the lack of covers or attempts to steal these on 022-25-66-66, 022-85-77-77 or through the email address acc@acc.md.