3Rs for successful water and sanitation projects: What it takes to stop throwing money down the drain in water and sanitation work

No Reason, No Room, No Reprieve: The basics of an effective integrity strategy

The world needs around $114 billion each year to fund the capital costs of ensuring universal access to safe water and sanitation services. Up to a quarter of this may be lost to corruption and integrity failures. Up to half of it, if you include mismanagement in infrastructure projects.

Corruption in water and sanitation undermines efforts to provide decent services, drives up costs of already underfunded systems, erodes public trust, and leaves behind poor-quality and inadequate infrastructure. As always, marginalised communities are hit the hardest.

The cost of inaction on corruption in water and sanitation is unacceptably high

For water and sanitation professionals, integrity can’t be just a lofty statement – integrity is a practical necessity that must be built into every aspect of our work. But how can we make integrity actionable?

There are many ways to act and no blueprints - context and capacities matter. A lot. Still, it’s important to remember that measures in individual water and sanitation organisations and projects can work, and are important, and that sector-based anti-corruption programmes can be extremely effective.

Consider this example: you’re recording meter readings, site measurements, or feedback from the community. Do you use a pencil, a pen, or a GPS-enabled smartphone? Which method can be more easily manipulated? Which one leaves most room for errors or bribery?

Such seemingly simple decisions can have significant impacts on the finances available for the delivery of services and the effective use of those finances. The choices may often, of course, be more complex, but integrity risks, whether small or complex, are present throughout the life cycle of a project, and addressing them requires careful attention to detail and balanced responses.

The many ways to address integrity risks

Once you are aware of risks, what then? Let’s take our little example further.

After deciding on a method for record-keeping, how do you ensure it’s done with integrity? You could ban all pencils, double-check records for signs of tampering, or train your team to value transparency. Each option has merit, and none is universally the “right” answer. It’s all about assessing the situation, understanding the risks, and choosing the appropriate response.

In the latest Water Integrity Global Outlook focusing on water and sanitation finance (WIGO), we outline how anti-corruption and integrity work has evolved over the years. It’s clearer now how to construct and implement an effective integrity strategy, one that makes a difference in terms of water and sanitation service quality or programme impact.

The evidence is decidedly against just more sanctions or more rules.

Way forward: combining three pathways for integrity - No Reason, No Room, No Reprieve

WIGO outlines three broad pathways for integrity action. For an effective anti-corruption and integrity strategy in water and sanitation (or any other sector, for that matter), the ideal is to combine elements of all three of these pathways.

No Reason: Address root causes

Corruption thrives in environments where it's normalised or where social norms make it easy to rationalise. To prevent this, professionals must shift attitudes and make integrity a clear standard and reference point. Allow no reason for integrity failures.

Example actions to take:

• Awareness campaigns and training: Launch initiatives to educate both staff and communities about the long-term harm corruption inflicts.
• Ethical leadership: Encourage leadership that prioritises integrity and transparency within their organisations.
• Rewarding accountability: Recognise and reward behaviours that demonstrate a commitment to integrity.

No Room: Close the opportunities for corruption

Corruption opportunities can persist due to weak systems. By tightening procedures and implementing safeguards, professionals can limit integrity failures.

Example actions to take:

• Opening processes and limiting discretion: Make transactions and key processes -especially procurement- more transparent, digitising where possible. Reduce the number of situations where individuals have unchecked decision-making power, particularly in financial matters.
• Clear rules and responsibilities: Establish clear rules and transparent criteria for decision-making processes, leaving no gaps or overlaps in responsibilities.
• Getting reinforcements: Get support from civil society and anti-corruption or integrity organisations. Make it possible to share and collaborate on data.

No Reprieve: Detect and sanction, ensuring consequences for corruption

To deter corruption, there must be swift and certain consequences for such behaviour. Detection mechanisms and clear punishments help convey that impunity is not on the menu.

Example actions to take:

• Whistleblower protection and redress mechanisms: Ensure safe and anonymous reporting channels and protect whistleblowers.
• Risk assessments and data analytics for red flags: Monitor risk and red flags. Big data analytics can help, especially for procurement processes, financial transactions, and project expenses.
• Collaborating with Supreme Audit Institutions: Work with external auditors to ensure transparency and accountability in all financial dealings, even in emergencies.

What is your take? Which strategies have worked for you to identify the most pressing integrity risks and take appropriate action? How do you promote integrity as a guiding value?

Share your views in the comments.

Check out the Water Integrity Global Outlook for more input on risks and best practices.

This post is part of a series on integrity, accountability, and anti-corruption in water and sanitation finance, which looks at key integrity research findings on WASH finance, finance buzzwords and their implications, and pathways to safeguard resources and realise the human rights to water and sanitation. It was originally published by the Water Integrity Network, at https://www.waterintegritynetwork.net/post/3rs-for-successful-water-and-sanitation-projects

The Water Integrity Network is a global research and advocacy network for clean water governance: https://www.waterintegritynetwork.net