Corruption and Water
Water is a quencher of thirst, a grower of crops, a generator of power, fundamental to hygiene, and a basic natural resource vital for our daily existence. Water is necessary for human survival. Water is also a foundation for development. Without water, there can be no economic growth, no industry, no hydropower, no agriculture and no cities. Investing in water governance and infrastructure means investing in jobs, agriculture and food security, education, gender empowerment, environmental equity, as well as reducing infant mortality, improving health and a host of other factors that are commonly seen as the pre-requisites of progress.
Too often, this investment is blocked by corruption. Corruption keeps the poor in poverty and makes the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDG) impossible to achieve. To date, clean drinking water remains unobtainable for nearly 1.2 billion people around the world. This is not due to scarcity, but rather a lack of good governance. In many countries up to 50 percent or more of water goes unaccounted for due to unmonitored water leakages in pipes and canals, unauthorised connections from the rich and illegal tapping by the poor. The water crisis is a governance crisis with corruption at its core.
