ELECTRICITY theft makes up a hefty 25 per cent of the estimated 22 per cent total line losses. At today’s tariff rates, this translates into a staggering Rs50–75 billion. Unfortunately, the cases of electricity thefts are increasing, affecting the very viability of the power sector.

Stemming this loss can result in curbing the growth in electricity rates by at least 10–15 per cent. Another 0.7 million customers have since been detected for thefts during July to November 2010 in addition to the 1.50 million found during 2009-10. Still greater efforts are required to completely stop theft.

How do we do it? A ten points agenda is suggested to be put in place. The first step is to divide and map the DISCOs (and of course, the KESC) into fully complaint, semi-complaint and non-complaint zones through a colour coding system viz green for the first category, orange for the second and red for the renegades.

The second of the steps would be to quantify the exact areas where theft goes on unchecked – actual detailed mapping would take place on the DISCO and its subordinate offices level viz. at the circle, the division and the sub-division. This step is bound to narrow down the non-complaint areas to specific pockets which then can be dealt appropriately. The mapping would see a vast green with orange and red islands here and there – giving us the needed areas to focus.

The third of the steps is for the CEO in case of the DISCO, the superintending engineer at the circle level, the executive engineer for the division and the sub-divisional officers at the sub-divisional level to focus personally on the non-complaint red areas on the maps.

The focus would comprise many facets viz. to understand the reasons for the theft in the area, as to how it could be minimised, tools needed, implementation strategy, tactics to be employed, help required from within and from without the organisation; whether just watch and ward would do the job or whether more than that would be needed, where exactly would be the main area of non-compliance. Whether taking out this problem would make the rest of the edifice of non-compliance collapse or that the problem was across the board etc. and lastly, if the people of the area could be made partners in eradication of the menace.

Incidentally, the focus would be area specific because a generic plan cannot succeed. This is also why mapping is suggested to be taken up at all levels. In other words, the fourth step would be the preparation of a complete all en-compassing plan based on the information gleaned out of the ten different facets of the third step.

Fifth step: In the instant case, the DISCO, the Circle, the Division or the Sub-Division of any DISCO would take up a strategy based on a scenario where the ink spot or the non-complaint red area would slowly contract/reduce in size moving towards the centre and where eventually it would disappear merging into the green complaint areas.

Sixth step: It would entail the measurement of energy being supplied to the customers at all levels. As PEPCO has already provided for metering at the 500/200/132/11 KV levels and which would further enhance after its Secured Metering Project gets implemented, the main problem lies at the presently un-metered LT. sub-stations.

The provision of metering at the LT Sub-stations, that is, just before the customer mains would allow the utility managers to calculate the exact number of electricity units that are not being billed and thus would be able to also pinpoint the areas of theft and the exact quantum in unit terms. This information would help the utilities in prioritising their action. Thus the focus can be on hi-unit loss areas and not where just the percentage loss in high.

The seventh step would be the actual field operation in shape of the combing exercise. As the plan formulated on the basis of the fourth step would provide the field combing team with necessary data, the actual combing would be comparatively easy. The combing would take on the easy targets in the first go i.e. the customers who have either bypassed the energy meters or have damaged the equipment.

The second combing activity would be to unearth consumers who adopt other measures to extract energy. This could be reversing of meter registers, stopping meters to register energy for various periods of times, illegal hooking of electricity lines and so on. Thus the non-complaint or the spotted areas would turn into complaint ones where customers would pay for what they use.

The eighth step would be securing of the metering equipment and introduction of new technologies leading even to the smart grids in the long run. This step would be taken up concurrently with the earlier seven of the steps.

The ninth step would be the replication of the overall strategy for the whole of the country.

The final step would be to change the legislation in support of utility operations through re-drafting of the Electricity Act of 1910, the Electricity Rules of 1937, the Nepra Act and even the Telegraph Act of 1885.