How does corruption manifest itself in the water sector in Bangladesh?
What are its effects? MZ: Corruption in the water sector in Bangladesh has usually manifested itself in the following areas: (a) in matters of delivery both to households as well as in irrigation, (b) in improper billing of water supplied and consumed, (c) during civil construction work undertaken for water storage and maintenance and in the (d) lack of strict monitoring of sewerage facilities and effluent discharge by industrial units. Such corrupt practices cause losses in revenue, unnecessary additional expenditure in public works and environmental degradation to water bodies. All of the above elements juxtapose together and impact on the humanitarian rights of individuals and societies to access clean drinking water. This subsequently translates into poorer health for infants and school going children. The creation of poor sub-standard infrastructure in terms of storage and delivery due to corruption also means more breakdowns and greater cost in terms of maintenance of facilities.
