Resource information
Divided into three parts, this collaborative work looks at the varied challenges brought about as a result of corruption in the water sector. It also looks at recent research conducted and provides an overview of the water sector corruption challenges in country profiles across the globe. Corruption in the water sector puts the lives and livelihoods of billions of people at risk. The onset of climate change and the increasing stress on water supply around the world make the fight against corruption in water more urgent than ever. Without increased advocacy to stop corruption in water, there will be high costs to economic and human development, the destruction of vital ecosystems, and the fuelling of social tension or even conflict over this essential resource. Corruption in water is a significant factor in the climate change agenda and therefore, also a critical issue for global public policy. The impact of corruption in the water sector on lives, livelihoods, food security and international cooperation also underscores the many linkages to global policy concerns. A number of lessons are highlighted from efforts in fighting water sector corruption across countries. These lessons and subsequent recommendations include:
prevent corruption in the water sector, as cleaning up after it is difficult and expensive - when corruption leads to contaminated drinking water and destroyed ecosystems, the detrimental consequences are often irreversible
understand the local water context, otherwise reforms will fail. One size never fits all in fighting corruption, but this is particularly the case in the water sector, where conditions of supply and demand, existing infrastructure and governance systems vary widely
cleaning up water corruption should not be at odds with the needs of the poor. The costs of corruption in the water sector are disproportionately borne by the poor. Pro-poor anti-corruption efforts should focus on the types of service provision that matter most to them, such as public standpipes or drilling rural wells
build pressure for water reform from above and from below - ending corruption in the water sector requires breaking the interlocking interests and relationships that are perpetuating the problem. Leadership from the top is necessary to create political will and drive institutional reform
scale up and refine the diagnosis of corruption in water – the momentum and effectiveness of reform depend on it. Tools such as corruption impact assessments and public expenditure tracking need to be refined, adopted widely across the water sector and adapted to specific local contexts to lay the foundations for targeted reform.
