Brief By Daniel Nordmann Published in 2013 with support from GIZ Although regulation of water services is not introduced per se to combat corruption, it can play an important role in improving sector and utility governance in a sustainable manner. “The design of a regulatory systems is very country-specific. In many countries such as Burkina Faso, or in Uganda […] contracts between governments and utilities which set performance targets for a multi-year period are common practice. In other countries, regulatory units are created in the water administration, or competition authorities perform regulatory functions in combination with ‘public control’ mechanisms – as in Germany. In about 57 countries worldwide, autonomous water services regulatory authorities or regulatory units in ministries have been established at national or regional levels.” This brief first outlines the corruption and integrity hot spots utilities face in their day-to-day operations before exploring how regulators, when ensuring that utilities comply with rules (for example by implementing tariff-setting procedures, licensing of utilities, public performance reporting, service standards), can develop an enabling regulatory framework that will support integrity in the water sector. Regulation can serve both as a control limiting undesirable behaviour, and as a facilitator creating an enabling environment for conduct based on integrity. The author recommends a combination of incentive-based tools, such as corporate governance guidelines and benchmarking, with cooperative approaches where partnerships with utilities, users and institutions can further “support utilities in building an integrity infrastructure.” The brief includes a note of caution. “To make a regulatory system effective and legitimate, the regulator itself must be safeguarded against corruption, capture and undue interference from stakeholders.” It then closes with a set of recommendations on first steps and measures to be implemented. Download full brief:

Campaign case study Published in 2013 with support from the Sri Lanka Water Partnership and the Network for Women Water Professsionals Sand mining is not only often carried out illegally, it can also have devastating consequences on the environment that can endanger the lives of local populations. Sand mining can lead to the degradation of river beds, erosion of banks, deterioration of water quality, reduction of ground-water availability, reduction of crops yields… In Sri Lanka, it has been convincingly proven that excessive sand mining aggravated the impact of the 2004 tsunami. Still, as sand is a crucial resource for the construction sector, sand mining is booming and continues to take a serious toll on the health of rivers and coastlines worldwide. This publication documents the efforts made in Sri Lanka to counter illegal river sand mining. In 2005, a campaign was initiated against river sand mining by the Sri Lanka Water Partnership, the Network for Women Water Professionals (NetWwater) and partners. WIN and GWP provided additional support to their efforts from 2008. The campaign is a widespread effort to engage with multiple stakeholders from civil society, government, regulatory authorities, law enforcement, religious authorities and the media to raise awareness about the impact of sand mining and encourage action and stronger regulation. This case highlights the role that law enforcers needs to play in protecting natural resources and the environment and how engaging with these stakeholders helped bring about concrete change in how illegal sand mining is addressed and limited. Already, the impact of the campaign is positive. Illegal sand mining has been banned in two river basins – Deduru Oya and the Maha Oya. A strong network of partners continues to bring awareness to the issue, facilitate change and promote alternatives to the practice. Download (pdf, EN)

Assessment guidelines Published in 2014 with SIWI and the Oslo Governance Center The User’s Guide on Assessing Water Governance is the go-to reference to develop a relevant assessment framework for water governance and water integrity. Download in English (pdf, EN) Download in Portuguese (pdf, PT)

Brief By Binayak Das (WIN) Published in 2012 with the Global Water Partnership (GWP) River basins, with a wide range of uses supporting a great diversity of people, cultures and jurisdictions, require suitable institutions, policy instruments and management strategies to ensure just and equal access to water without compromising the health of the river. This brief, developed in partnership by WIN and GWP, outlines key risk factors and integrity challenges that are specific to river basin management and points to some key measures that can increase integrity in river basin management, with examples from Indonesia, Japan, Spain, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Key risk factors include the facts that: “Decision making in river basins is dispersed across many sectors and spills into different types of agencies. Large amounts of public money flow into river management and the technical complexities of river management decreases participation and transparency.” The challenges are increased by rapid urbanization and climate change. IWRM is one important approach to improve water governance at basin level. The brief highlights the role of IWRM and its effectiveness in improving coordination to river basin scale but also points to possible “increases in corruption risks as the level of social control and administrative monitoring decreases when interactions occur outside the established systems.” Factoring in water integrity in the formulation and implementation of IWRM strategies at river basin level can improve the sustainability, equity and sustainability of such strategies. The brief concludes with examples of how including Transparency, Accountability and Participation principles -the pillars of water integrity- in basin management, have already helped strengthen institutions and increased the satisfaction of stakeholders in several worldwide river basins. Download this brief as a pdf: In English: In Spanish: In French:

70% of the world’s water total fresh water withdrawal is for agriculture. 40% of our food is produced by irrigated agriculture. Poor governance of irrigation systems can affect the lives and livelihoods of millions. Water for irrigation is also a strong tool to alleviate rural poverty but also an important and coveted power lever. Understanding the complexity of the sector, corruption and integrity risks and the impact of governance on the poor is therefore crucial to our food, health and well-being. This brief examines the main governance systems and associated integrity risks for three types of irrigation systems that represent the diversity of the irrigation sector: Canal irrigation Tube well irrigation Wastewater irrigation Based on the identified risks, the brief outlines possible strategies for mitigation and cautions against implementing measures that would be be at odds with the needs of the poor. Download the brief: Download the full report:

Report By Maria Jacobson, Sam Mutono, Erik Nielsen, Donal O’Leary & Rosemary Rop Published in 2010 with the World Bank Water and Sanitation Program Uganda placed corruption in the water sector high on the development agenda by pursuing an explicit anti-corruption strategy in the provision of water supply and sanitation services. In 2006, the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE) established a multi-stakeholder Good Governance Sub-Sector Working Group (GGSSWG) tasked with recommending specific measures to promote and monitor transparency, accountability and good governance. This process culminated in the creation of a Governance Action Plan to improve transparency and accountability in the sub-sector. The GGSSWG initiated a Water Integrity Study in 2008, to better understand corruption in Uganda’s water sector. Supported by WIN and the Water and Sanitation Program (WSP), this exercise consisted of two complementary studies designed to update the sector’s existing anti-corruption action plan: A qualitative Risk/Opportunity Mapping Study of the WSS sub-sector, mapping stakeholders, identifying corruption risks and barriers for action. A National Baseline Survey on how water consumers, providers, contractors and other stakeholders experience integrity in the provision of water. The key findings of the Integrity Study are outlined in this report, along with conclusions and lessons learned from the process of developing and implementing an integrity study for Uganda. Download report:

This report examines and compares corruption risks in water licensing in Chile and Kazakhstan, focusing in particular on: The licence application process, The definition or scope of a licences, Bidding and trading procedures, Licence monitoring and enforcement. The analysis is based on field surveys in Kazakhstan and Chile (Eighty semi-structured and open interviews were held with licensors issuing water licenses, water licensees, NGOs, private sector managers, press, water managers, and power companies…) In both market (Chile) and state-focused (Kazakhstan) water licensing systems, the potential for corruption exists with licensing being administered by under-funded, under-equipped, and under-coordinated regulating agencies. Both cases illustrate very different examples of water licensing systems. In Kazakhstan, the State dominated water sector is in the midst of institutional and financial reform and the water licensing system is being adapted for users that are no longer collectively organized. In Chile, market-based initiatives are key elements of the water licensing system. This seems to have contributed to the fact large companies have a dominant role in securing water rights. LESSONS LEARNED FROM THIS TYPE OF ASSESSMENT Researchers can facilitate information-sharing within countries. Donors and consultants can encourage or discourage corruption. Changing the water laws does not necessarily mean changing practices; often there is a gap between water law and practice. The gaps in the system can facilitate corrupt practices. Download the Report:

Brief by Eefje Aarnoudse and Sarah Belalia Published in 2012 This paper highlights how corruption issues in the water sector form a threat to global food security. It provides an overview of corruption risks affecting the food production chain, and summarizes best approaches and concrete measures to increase water integrity for food security. Download: In English: In Spanish: In French:

Brief By Janek Hermann-Friede (WIN), Johannes Heeb and Michael Kropac (cewas) Published in 2012 with cewas This brief examines the key risks associated with private sector participation in water service provision, with a special focus on contracting risks and influence over political processes. Download (pdf) In English: In Spanish: In French:

EXPERIENCES FROM PILOTS IN THE THE MENA REGION Guide Published in 2015 by The Arab Countries Water Utilities Association (ACWUA), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, and the Water Integrity Network (WIN) Association e.V. Integrity and compliance are critical to good governance in managing water resources and providing water services to citizens. Therefore, the Arab Countries Water Utilities Association (ACWUA) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in 2012 started a capacity development initiative on these matters by providing awareness seminars, training and advice, as well as developing tools and instructional materials, with the aim of improving integrity in water and wastewater utilities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Based on these experiences, this Manual is written for water utilities that seek to improve their performance by implementing a change process towards higher levels of integrity. The main actors in this process are the utility’s management and staff. All water sector practitioners who support utilities throughout this process will benefit from using the Manual to guide their work. Download (pdf, EN)