Complete Book PDF (4.12MB) - World Bank eLibrary

Rural Water Supply Corruption in Ethiopia 125
• The Many Faces of Corruption: Tracking Vulnerabilities at the Sector Level
includes an examination of the water supply and sanitation sector in
Africa (Campos and Pradhan 2007).
• A comprehensive World Bank sourcebook on the urban water and
sanitation sector was developed to help water and sanitation practitioners
diagnose the extent and risks of corruption in urban areas
(Halpern et al. 2008).
These sector reviews have two common themes: (a) the potential for,
and risks of, corruption in the water sector; and (b) the paucity of empirical
data, thus the need for further field research. Inclusion of the water
sector in the Ethiopia country diagnostic studies is a timely addition to
this growing body of knowledge.
Potential for Water Sector Corruption
The water sector is characterized by its diversity. Water, literally, is
involved in most human activities, and predicting the actual scale of corruption
in any specific water operation is hazardous without a specific
local assessment.
There are many different types of water services and many actors
involved at several levels—from politicians to pipe manufacturers, consultants
to consumers, local government officials to lab technicians,
public agencies to private enterprises, vendors to donors, and planners to
philanthropists. Water corruption can be either grand (the misuse of vast
amounts of public sector funds by a relatively small number of officials)
or petty (a large number of officials abusing their public office by extracting
small bribes and favors, generally directly affecting the poorest).
Indeed, water corruption includes all of these forms:
• Bribes: the offering or payment of money, services, or valuables to public
officials to persuade them to do something (quicker, better, or more
in their interest)—for example, a bribe to get pipes repaired
• Fraud: an economic crime involving deceit or trickery for unlawful
gains—for example, fraudulent CVs to get a job or license in water or
the moonlighting of state-owned rigs
• Nepotism: the exploitation of an individual’s own power and authority
to procure favors for relatives or friends—for example, water sector
jobs for relatives
• Embezzlement: the misappropriation of public resources (property or
funds) legally entrusted to someone in his or her formal position as an
agent or guardian—for example, the misuse of water funds.