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Corruption and corruption reform in the water sector. How can water professionals make a difference? A question made more urgent by climate change

The authors examine how those working professionally with water - whether they be water practitioners, engineers, environmental scientists, geologists, policymakers, journalists, hydrogeographers, local community leaders and citizens - engage with the question of corruption in the water sector. Corruption impacts occur at local scale, such as misuse of water in a municipality, at regional scale, such as unregulated diversions in watersheds; and at global scale, such as corrupt mismanagement of marine protected areas or the diversion of funds intended to combat climate change. The subject is urgent as tensions over water availability and the climate crisis become more pressing. The authors conducted interviews with twenty people, mostly water professionals. They included engineers in water utilities in the US, Mexico and elsewhere, environmental lawyers, geographers, geologists, ocean economy investors, ecosystem scientists, natural resources managers, plus water anti-corruption practitioners and journalists. The main theme that emerged from the interviews, unexpectedly, was the discomfort of interviewees in even talking about corruption. This had several explanations: the absence of professional anti-corruption training for water professionals; the subject almost never being on professional agendas, nor being a topic of conversation; and, most of all, as a questioning of where the limits are to personal and professional responsibilities. Do water professionals have a responsibility in relation to corruption, whatever its impact on water performance outcomes? Should they seek to recognise corruption, take on some responsibility for reducing it, think about preventive measures? There was an instinctive response that tackling or preventing corruption was not part of the job of a water professional. We learnt from this research that those working professionally with water feel both uncomfortable and ill equipped to deal with corruption issues, whether by prevention, by avoidance or by raising concerns. The research indicates that this is not just an issue of training, but also one of scope and responsibility: is it part of a professional’s responsibility to look at corruption risks and issues? We, the authors, feel that it is a necessary competence, as well as an institutional responsibility. The authors conclude with a call for everyone working with this vital scarce resource to properly understand and take responsibility for water corruption; whether they be water practitioners, engineers, environmental scientists, policymakers, journalists, hydrogeographers, anti-corruption activists, local community leaders and citizens. This report is accompanied by a companion paper “Dirty water: Illustration of water corruption modalities from three Mexican regions”.

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Sectors: Water.

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