Published on Wednesday, August 23, 2006 by the Inter Press Service
Dirty Water Deals Cheat the Poor
by Thalif Deen
Expressing concern over the "pervasiveness of corruption" in the management of water, a coalition of six international non-governmental organisations has created a new global anti-corruption watchdog body: the Water Integrity Network (WIN).
Launched Tuesday during "World Water Week" in the Swedish capital, the network vows to root out unethical behaviour by promoting good governance and transparency in the water sector.
"At a time when we are talking about increasing investments to expand water supplies and water resources, we also have indications that about 25 to 30 percent of state budgets on water investments are lost due to corruption," Hakan Tropp, WIN's interim chair, told IPS.
This is only an average figure, he pointed out, but the numbers could vary from country to country -- going lower or higher depending on the degree of corruption and mismanagement.
The six groups that have joined hands to fight corruption in water management include the Stockholm International Water Institute, Transparency International, Swedish Water House, the International Water and Sanitation Centre, Water and Sanitation Programme- Africa and AquaFed.
The network's mandate will include diagnosing problems, proposing solutions, building capacity and monitoring progress. It will coordinate with civil society, public and private sectors, and with news media and governments.
The rest is at:
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0823-02.htm