New manhole covers will have zero scrap value

LAHORE:To eliminate the theft of manhole covers, Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) has finally decided to replace all manhole covers with new ones made of recycled material.

This was decided in a recent meeting chaired by Wasa Managing Director Syed Zahid Aziz. He said earlier 2,000 plastic manhole covers were imported and placed in various localities of the City as a pilot project.

He said he had already requested the local industrialists associated with Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) to invest in manufacturing of manhole covers made of recycled fiberglass having zero scrap value. “This will stop theft of manhole covers and will save precious lives in the provincial capital,” he maintained.

He stated that as Faisalabad Wasa MD he had already introduced fiberglass manhole covers in the city and for the last five years not a single manhole covers in Faisalabad has been stolen. He said the agency has also submitted the project of replacing all steel structured manhole covers of provincial metropolis to the World Bank, which appreciated Wasa for taking this innovative solution to stop loss of precious lives in the provincial metropolis.

World Bank has agreed to provide funds for this project under Punjab Cities Governance Maintenance Project. A senior officer of Wasa’s technical wing said that a single manhole cover with frame is made with heavy weight iron material and can be sold in thousands of rupees, if stolen.

“Usually drug addicts and thieves steal manhole covers with their frames and sell them to scrap dealers at the rate of iron,” he said, adding the City needed manhole covers of zero scrap value and fiberglass is the only solution.

“Theft of manhole covers is an international phenomenon and the practice can be witnessed in several mega cities of the world such as Chicago, Mumbai,” said Wasa MD. The only solution to stop this practice is replacement of the existing manhole covers with a zero scrap value covers and many modern cities have adopted various innovations in this regard,” he said, adding Wasa has finally imported 1,600 sets (manhole covers with frames), which will be delivered and placed on the manholes on all major city roads.

“Fibreglass manhole covers are fully traffic-rated and can easily bear 40-tonne weight vehicle,” the Wasa MD said, adding these covers are also maintenance-free and are fully adjustable with the atmosphere of the City.

He maintained that replacement of iron cast manhole covers with fibreglass covers will also help reduce road accidents, which occurred due to open manholes. He said fiberglass manhole covers are lighter and easier for utility workers to move and place.

Zahid Aziz claimed that many sewer and waste water systems are highly corrosive while fiberglass manhole covers and frames are perfect for the most corrosive settings found throughout municipal and industrial settings.

He revealed that fiberglass manhole covers are better for non-conductive applications and may reduce electrocution incidents during rain. He said cast iron manholes can interfere with or block radio signal transmission, which was used during de-silting of large sewer lines whereas fiberglass manhole covers offer little interference with radio frequency signals.

He said Wasa is installing SCADA system in the City and fiberglass manhole covers are an ideal fit for AMR systems, SCADA, telemetry, level monitoring, samplers, flow meters and other data acquisition devices.

“The minimum lifespan of a quality fiberglass manhole is 30+ years while a typical cast iron manhole system may require significant maintenance or replacement costs over that same period of time,” he said.

The Wasa MD directed all field staff to remain vigilant in their respective areas and immediately report uncovered manholes so that they could be covered with new fiberglass covers.