Manhole cover theft

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Manhole cover theft is the phenomenon of manhole covers being stolen, usually for resale as scrap. Long considered to be a childish prank in the United States, this type of theft is often expensive to municipalities, and dangerous to their residents.

It first became a serious problem in India and China, where missing manhole covers caused at least eight deaths.[1] Hundreds of manhole covers are stolen in the city of Bangalore, India every month. In Newham, East London, nearly 200 grates and covers were stolen. [2]

In the city of Calcutta, India more than 10,000 manhole covers were taken in two months. These were replaced with concrete covers, but these were also stolen, this time for the iron rods inside them. The thieves were believed to be buying lottery tickets with the money.[3]

Missing covers and grates may cause disappearances, deaths, and damage to vehicles.

According to China's Xinhua news agency, about "240,000 manhole and street-drain covers were stolen in Beijing in 2004." [4]

In China Shakes the World, James Kynge describes the phenomenon:

...in the several weeks beginning in mid-February 2004, when, slowly at first but with mounting velocity, manhole covers started to disappear from roads and pavements around the world. As Chinese demand drove up the price of scrap metal to record levels, thieves almost everywhere had the same idea. As darkness fell, they levered up the iron covers and sold them to local merchants, who cut them up and loaded them onto ships to China. The first displacements were felt in Taiwan, the island just off China's southeast coast. The next were in other neighbors such as Mongolia and Kygyzstan... Wherever the sun set, pilferers worked to satisfy China's hunger. More than 150 covers disappeared during one month in Chicago. Scotland's "great drain robbery" saw more than a hundred vanish in a few days. From Montreal to Gloucester to Kuala Lumpur, unsuspecting pedestrians stumbled into holes.

Contents

[edit] Thefts

 This section does not cite any references or sources. (March 2008)
Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.
Location Number Type Date Reason
Columbus, Ohio 25 Grates and covers August 2003
Hong Kong 8 Manhole covers and gutterbox grates January 2004
Shanghai, China 1,826 Manhole covers January 2004
Johannesburg, South Africa 380 Covers August 2004 to January 2005
Milwaukee, Wisconsin more than 160 Grates and Covers since January 1, 2004 scrap metal[5]
Gloucester, England 48 Covers March 11, 2004
Fife, Scotland 50 Covers October 2004
Aberdeen, Scotland 130 Covers 2004
Indianapolis, Indiana dozens Covers and sewer grates 2006 Scrap?
Detroit Lakes, Minnesota 1 Cover Unknown
Daegu, South Korea 100s Misc. steel Unknown
Vail, Colorado Unknown Covers Unknown Taken as souvenirs[6]
Prague, Czech Republic 20 per day Unknown Unknown Protest by homeless people facing eviction from sewer systems[7]
Alness, Scotland 26.5 Covers January 2007 Used as sledging devices by locals
Powys, Wales 40 Unknown Unknown
Cherokee County, Georgia 28 Covers 2008 Scrap?

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ China manhole thefts prove deadly
  2. ^ Manhole covers vanish in the night
  3. ^ 10,000 manhole covers vanish - Fingers pointed at Growing craze for Drugs, SNAP lottery
  4. ^ Archived version of "Putting a lid on rampant manhole theft" at CNN (now inaccessible original)
  5. ^ Manhole covers swiped at an alarming pace
  6. ^ Casillas, Christine Ina. "Manhole Covers on Sale." Vail Daily 5 July 2003. 10 May 2008 [1].
  7. ^ Manhole covers vanish in Prague

[edit] External links