Officials can influence the way a contract is defined, by determining the nature of a project (e.g. high capital investment) & the type of contract --- or contractors may falsify records and documentation to ensure that bids look competitive, and officials may turn a blind eye as they receive a kickback for silence.
Or with frequent power outages, water supply constantly interrupted, or only availabel in morning or evening – therefore rural citizens forced to pum dirty water from other ‘unimporved sources’ (srpings, wells with manual pumps, irrigation ditches, channels, rainwater collection) which are inadequate in terms of sanitation & hygiene Children are most vulnerable population group suffering from poor water quality: frequent vistims of gastric & intestinal infections caused by contaminated water – partly due to fact that more than 50% schools do not have access to safe drinking water & majority of medical institutions in country also lack access to safe water. Ecosystems suffer – bribes are paid to cove up the discharge of wastewater & toxins in water resourcesCorruption discourages investments in infrastructure – e.g. hydropower production.
-There are numerous reasons, but here I will only review five. -First, Water often defies legal and institutional classification, often leaving governance dispersed across political boundaries and different agencies with many loopholes to exploit-2nd, managing water is still largely approached as an engineering challenge. Consideration for the political and social dimensions of water, including corruption issues, is limited-3rd, water is more than twice as capital intensive as other utilities. Large water management, irrigation or dam projects are complex, making procurement lucrative and manipulation difficult to detect-5th, water is scarce. Even in water-richTaj, droughts are frequent & country is vullnerable to climate change & natioanl disasters. The less water available, the higher the corruption risks that emerge.
I will briefly present four lessons that are drawn from the 2008 Global Corruption Report that was jointly prepared by Transparency International and the Water Integrity Network-First, prevent corruption in the water sector, as cleaning it up after it is difficult and expensive. -Second, we must understand the local water context, otherwise reforms will fail. One size never fits all, but this is particularly true in the water sector. Therefore understanding local conditions and specific incentive systems that underpin corruption is a prerequisite for devising effective reforms-Third, the costs of corruption in the water sector are disproportionately borne by the poor-And finally, reform must come from above and below. Leadership from the top is necessary to create political will and drive institutional reform. But bottom-up approaches area needed by adding checks and balances on those in power.
PRSP, NDS, National Water Sector Development Strategy (2005-2015)More recently (2008) the govt has approved a programme which aims to provide access to drinking water to all the Tajik population by 2020
In rural areas, where women and children are responsible for collecting water from water sources situated 5km or more away from their places of residence.Info on population numbers with access to a centralized water supplu system not included in state reporting form.It is therefore impossible to gain a clear picture of the situation in the water sector at any time.Big gap:According to data for assessing water quality, 30 of samples nationwide do not comply with national microbiological standardsMeanwhile, health statistics show that there is an extremely high rate of water-related diseases directly resulting from very poor water quality.
Input indictors / process indicators / output/outcome/impact indicators
they are evidence based, meaning that detailed data collection and analysis was undertaken; second, the studies were undertaken in collaboration with key stakeholder groups (providers & consumers), important to get both views to validate what one group saysand third, through this multi-stakeholder partnership process, it is hoped that ownership over the data has been created
they are evidence based, meaning that detailed data collection and analysis was undertaken; second, the studies were undertaken in collaboration with key stakeholder groups (providers & consumers), important to get both views to validate what one group saysand third, through this multi-stakeholder partnership process, it is hoped that ownership over the data has been created
QUALITATIVE - Expert input: mapping study of ‘corruption risks’ based on desk research / interviews (institutions, laws & regulations)Identify red flagsQUANTITATIVE - Get feedback from water stakeholders: Nationwide ‘baseline survey’ on how water consumers and water providers experience & perceive corruption in the provision of water, in both rural and urban areas (COMPARE RESULTS!); or through buget/expenditure tracking to detect where unexplained leakages occurTo assess impact: what is the amount of resources involved? What is the effect on org reputation/credibility? What is the impact on the general public / the poor? Important to note that petty corruption (one 1 to 1 basis) may seem to have a small practice, but if they occur very frequently (high likelihood), their combined impact may be high! (may also need to revise / add some ‘red flags’!) 3) Do survey results confirm the expert mapping?
-To date we have learned 5 preliminary lessons based on our ongoing pilot experience of using water integrity studies in Uganda-buy in from key stakeholders is necessary from the beginning, otherwise the process could fail-without a sense of ownership over the process, momentum cannot be maintained and results will not be achieved-partnership and leadership with and by the government is fundamental. If the government is not engaged and supportive of the process, little will ever be achieved-any external partner, such as ourselves, needs to collaborate with committed, legitimate and respected local partner-and finally, without a national political environment that is conductive to addressing corruption, limited impact would ever be achievedTransparency can legitimize, and even increase, existing levels of corruption. This occurs if the disclosed activities are not condemned by the proper authorities & if the identified culprits’ punishment is perceived as negligible.
Given that (primary water consumers: agricultural organizations)