Transparent, just and effective governance of water is a prerequisite for human development and for environmental sustainability. But the challenges are daunting and corruption is at the heart of the problem. The corruption risks encountered in the water sector are imminent and diverse. They range from petty bribery in water delivery to procurement-related looting – from covering up industrial pollution to manipulation and distortion of fundamental water management and allocation policies. This makes stemming corruption in water provision a priority for policy-makers and practitioners around the world.

Whether within governments, between them and the private sector, or between officials and consumers, corruption in the water sector hurts everyone. Households pay with their physical health, as poor quality or non-existent water supplies increase their vulnerability to deadly diseases. Irrigation and hydropower are made unviable, shutting the door to more abundant crops and sustainable electricity.

Young children are kept from school, forced instead to collect the household’s daily water supply. The poor must often pay bribes to connect their households to water pipes or tankers.

Corruption helps inflate the cost of small-scale infrastructure like boreholes, and diverts irrigation water away from poor villages through biased distribution decisions. For many, daily life is a constant struggle for access to water.

Local successes like these must be repeated on a global scale.

In its Global Corruption Report 2008: Corruption in the Water Sector, Transparency International delves into the obstacles and opportunities for making the water MDG a reality. The book, to be published in June 2008 by Cambridge University Press, covers corruption in:

The report provides a quick introduction to the major issues with regard to water and corruption and explores in depth the different types of corruption prevalent in the sector. It compiles empirical evidence that maps the scope and consequences of corruption and presents country case studies from all over the world to illustrate how corruption around water provision and use affects people’s lives. It offers options for policy reform, promising advocacy strategies for concerned stakeholders and priorities for future research.

In its search for solutions and results, TI has joined and serves as the secretariat for the Water Integrity Network (WIN), a coalition of six leading organisations that have joined forces to cleanse water of corruption.

• More information about the work of Transparency International chapters on water
• Interview with the Manager of the Water Integrity Network Teun Bastemeijer:“Corruption is one of the key factors for the destruction of natural resources and water sources”