disclosure of taxes paid by companies operating in the mining sector, on the one hand,
disclosure by governments of revenues received from those companies, on the other hand.
The objective is to ensure good natural resources management in order to stop the âresource curseâ observed in many countries, which, despite their natural wealth, remain among the poorest in the world. The EITI, initiated in 2003, has so far shed light on major losses in the extraction of precious mineral and gas products in 35 countries.
Togo has been the first, and is still the only, EITI country counting water among its natural resources to be monitored through the EITI.
Accordingly, companies that extract groundwater for the production of mineral waters must disclose royalties they pay.
The purpose of this type of data collection and comparison in the water sector is to ensure that royalties are paid in full and are transferred to the Fund for Integrated Water Resources Management foreseen by the Water Code (Art. 147). The Fund aims to improve water supply for the population, for instance through measures to protect water resources and enable participative water management.
Voltic, just like Clever and Vital/BB belong to the EITI and report amounts paid to the State for drinking water extraction
Water extracted for other purposes, including in the mining sector, remains outside the EITI framework
In the current application of the EITI in Togo, only the 4 above-mentioned companies report their water extraction for drinking purposes. It is necessary that transparency be extended to all forms of water extraction by all industries -including miningâ in accordance with the polluter-pays and user-pays principles stated in the Water Code.
A watchdog mechanism was put in place by Friends of the Earth-Togo (Les Amis de la Terre Togo, ADTT) through the Publish What You Pay Coalition-Togo (PWYPC). The PWYPC-Togo works towards increased transparency in the water sector and an extension of the water extraction reporting requirements to more sectors. It was created based on a mapping of organizations working in the mining, economic transparency and/or water sectors with support from WaterLex, and is aligned with the activities of the Water NGO Platform. The PWYPC was officially launched in 2012, and now counts up to 28 members.
Under the EITI, companies exploiting minerals do not report amounts paid for water use and water treatment
 * Helene Ramos dos Santos is a development consultant, specialized in economic, social and cultural rights. She has worked for four years in the water and sanitation sector, and two years in Togo. Helene has been working since 2011 with Friends of the Earth-Togo to set-up the Publish What You Pay-Coalition Togo and to develop the organizationâs program on water transparency.
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