A resurgent wave of targeted thefts of household water meters has left hundreds of residents in Belize’s northern Belize and Corozal Districts without running water, as thieves target the valuable copper components inside the devices to sell for quick scrap metal profits. According to officials from Belize Water Services (BWS), the public utility responsible for managing the nation’s water infrastructure, more than 29 meters have been stolen across the two districts in recent weeks, with the problem flaring up again after a brief lull earlier this year.
Roberto Toriz, BWS Operations Manager for the Belize District, explained that the issue first emerged back in December of last year, when a similar string of thefts disrupted local services. The criminal activity tapered off after that incident, but began reemerging in June 2026, starting in neighborhoods across Belize City. As of the latest official count, 18 meters have been stolen from Belize District properties since the resurgence began, while Corozal District reported 11 new thefts in just a 24-hour period ahead of the October 14 announcement. The total cost to BWS already amounts to thousands of dollars, with each new meter costing the utility roughly $300 to manufacture and install.
Thieves typically remove the entire water meter and connected valve from residential properties before stripping out the copper components inside, which they then sell to scrap yards for a small fraction of the meter’s actual total value. While the theft itself generates only minimal quick cash for the perpetrators, the ripple effects create major disruptions for homeowners and the utility alike.
Paul Wade, BWS Assistant Customer Services Manager, noted that stolen meters immediately cut off water service to affected properties, leaving residents without access to running water for extended periods of time. The disruptions are often especially severe when the thefts occur overnight or in the early morning hours, before residents wake up to discover the issue. Though BWS maintains a 24-hour emergency response team to address outages, replacing stolen meters requires significant deployment of labor, materials and logistics resources that stretch the utility’s capacity thin.
For now, BWS replaces stolen meters for customers at no direct cost, but utility officials warn that repeated large-scale thefts could eventually force the company to pass some of the costs onto consumers through higher rates or service fees. In response to the ongoing crisis, BWS is issuing a public call for residents to remain vigilant for suspicious activity around neighborhood water lines, and to report any unfamiliar individuals tampering with meters to local authorities and utility staff immediately to prevent further disruptions.