Narayan Manandhar reviews the Global Corruption Report 2008 which focused on corruption in water sector.
The water sector is a leaking bucket. With nearly 1.2 billion people in the world not having access to clean water and more than 2.6 billion without adequate sanitation, one can fairly imagine the scale of damage the corruption in water sector can inflict on human development and poverty reduction. With 80 percent of health problems in developing countries are water related and with 1.8 million child death per year due to water borne diseases, one can again imagine the devastating effects of water sector corruption on the lives of the people. Unclean water and poor sanitation have claimed more lives over the last century than any other cause.
The theme of GCR 2008 is corruption in the water sector. The report speaks, “without increased advocacy to stop corruption in water, there will be high costs to economic and human development, the destruction of vital eco-systems, and the fuelling of social tension or even conflict over this essential resource.” The report also highlights that more than fifty countries on five continents have been identified as hotbeds for potential future conflicts over water.
The report aptly mentions that the crisis of water is the crisis of water governance. Therefore, the need to combat corruption in the water sector. The problem of water is its distribution. Water is available in those places where it is least desired or not available in those places where it is most desired or available in such a huge quantity over a short period of time (e.g., our monsoon rains) that we cannot manage the supply. The problem with water sector is either “too much”, “too little” or “too dirty”. Jens Berggren, the manager for Water Integrity Network, writes “as water was one of the first resources whose use was regulated (by the state), it is likely that it was the first resource that was misused for potential gain, i.e., corruption. “If you want to engage people in anti-corruption drive, combating corruption in the water sector is the great place to start with”, writes Mr Berggren. The theoretical concepts of rights, entitlements, access to information, accountability, transparency, etc. get a very concrete and “down to earth” meaning in the water sector. Fighting corruption in the water sector means getting closer to the people.
Due to natural monopoly and hence low competition, high discretionary power, huge investments, private sector dependency on the sector and low transparency, water sector is most susceptible to corruption. In the Global Corruption Report, corruption in the water sector is analysed from four perspectives, namely, (1) corruption in water resource management, (2) corruption in drinking water and sanitation, (3) corruption in irrigation for agriculture, and (4) corruption in hydro-power development. These four sectors present varying forms of corruption ranging from elite capture to grand corruption to petty corruptions at the service delivery points. As mentioned in the report, the greatest danger of corruption in the water sector is that it affects those with the weakest voice – the marginalized communities, the poor, the women, the children and in the case of environmental damages – the future generations. These are the stakeholders with a weak voice and limited ability to demand more accountability.
What is the implication of the report to Nepal? Nepal’s development hangs on the proper utilization of its water resource. Water is the only resource that is abundantly available in Nepal and it is the resource that has less been under utilized. With around 77 percent of the population having access to some basic drinking water facilities and 46 percent having sanitary services; 49 percent served by electricity and 68 percent of the land having some access to irrigation facility, the potentiality for realising water sector is immense. If these figures are mind boggling, how about 78,000 Nepali children, including 50,000 girls, engaged in fetching water? Besides economics, fighting corruption in water sector is also a moral issue.
With so much leakage in the supply of electricity and drinking water, combating corruption in water sector is a huge challenge for Nepal. Due to corruption, waste and inefficiency, we have the most expensive supply of electricity and water.
At global level, the study of corruption is now a much more a specialized area. Here we are talking of corruption at a more generalized term. Have a chat with any Nepali on corruption, s/he will invariably recommends you measures to fighting corruption. The Global Corruption Report prescribes the proper diagnosis of the corruption problem as a starting point to combat corruption in the water sector. I think this rule is applicable not just for water sector corruption but also with all forms of corruption. Let us wait till 2009 to combat corruption in the private sector.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
