global priorities/other thematic issues/corruption in water

Why address corruption in the water sector?

Water is critical to life. In addition to meeting the water and sanitation needs of the world’s 6 billion people, the water sector is responsible for providing 40 per cent of the world’s food requirements, through irrigation (which also accounts for approximately 70 per cent of all worldwide freshwater withdrawals) and for generating approximately 17 per cent of the world’s electricity. Furthermore, water provides livelihoods for endless numbers of species and critically affects global climate systems.

Effective management of the water sector is therefore vital for human welfare and environmental sustainability. The sector is large (with capital investment worldwide in excess of US$ 500 billion per year), complex (with many actors in the public sector, the private sector, civil society and the community of donors/financiers) and overall poorly performing.

There are over 1 billion people without regular access to clean water and a further 2.6 billion without access to regular sanitation. Water scarcity already affects local regions on every continent, and by 2025 more than 3 billion people could be living in water-stressed countries.

There is agreement that the underlying problem in the water sector is poor governance, at the core of which is corruption. Corruption pervades all aspects of the water sector, from water resources management to drinking water services, irrigation and hydropower.

It contributes to polluted drinking water, altered water flows and flooding patterns, reduced crop yields, and inadequate infrastructure - all problems that worsen the already precarious lives and livelihoods of the poor.

What is TI doing on the water sector?

Transparency International (TI) has a two-fold approach to addressing issues in the water sector:

a. The TI Secretariat is the host of the Water Integrity Network (WIN);

The Water Integrity Network is an action oriented coalition of individuals and organizations that support the cause of increasing water integrity by enhancing transparency and preventing or reducing corruption in the water sector covering:

Integrated water resource management
Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation
Water for Food
Water for Energy

The TI-Secretariat acts as the host and legal representative of the Water Integrity Network, until the WIN is established as a legal entity. TI-S is also one of the five founding members of the WIN. For more information on the work performed by the WIN, please visit: www.waterintegritynetwork.net

b. The TI Secretariat is involved in a number of water based activities including:

Organising a training workshop at the 13th IACC: Reducing Corruption in Municipal Water Supply and Sanitation Services;
Participation in the Hydro Sustainability Assessment Forum;
Developing communication guidelines to promote sustainable development and tackle corruption risks in water infrastructure projects;
Supporting the Third Botin Foundation Forum on ethical issues in water management.

We welcome your suggestions and recommendations for improvements and additions to these pages. Please contact Larissa Schuurman at lschuurman@transparency.org for further information.