國際上新一波反貪腐行動有了新成果！在斯德哥爾摩世界水資源週(World Water Week)期間，5個水資源組織和國際反貪腐監察機構「國際透明組織」22日共同宣布成立「水資源廉正網絡」(Water Integrity Network，簡稱WIN)，誓言打擊水利業界中的企業貪腐行為。該網絡開宗明義指出：貪污腐敗正在腐蝕水資源部門。
水資源廉正網絡(WIN)計畫從國家政策到公、私部門的社區計畫發揮影響力，提升水資源警覺意識，並從基層促進有效率之反貪腐行動。WIN秘書處將設置於國際透明組織，該組織資深顧問歐萊禮(Dr. Donal O'Leary)指出：「斯德哥爾摩世界水資源週是個凸顯此議題的理想平台，讓人們知道在全世界對抗水資源各層面貪腐行為的重要性。」
歐萊禮接著說：「WIN希望能協助填補漏洞，正是這個漏洞讓世界各地貧窮人民的生計無法獲得改善。」歐萊禮所指的「漏洞」為何？WIN的宣言指出：當淡水供應仍足夠整個地球使用時，卻為何只有11億人口可以享用乾淨的飲用水，而同時卻有26億人口連最基本的衛生設備都沒有？「分配不均的不當管理」應是理由之一。
甚且，貪污腐敗更使得窮人雪上加霜，迫使他們必須靠賄賂才能接上水管或水塔。這使得建造及維護水利基礎工程的成本膨脹，也使得灌溉用水改道，更加遠離窮困的村落。
收買抄錶人員竄改水錶讀數、胡亂採購昂貴卻難用的設備、買官…等等都是貪污腐敗的證據。而偏頗的決策也造成在供水設備、廢水處理設備、服務據點及供水管線系統的分配及地點上的失當。
WIN宣言指稱：這樣的結果便是「使得人民飽受水費遽增、求助無門、尊嚴健康無著之苦，更讓民主及社會公義淪喪。」
身兼WIN指導委員會主席的「斯德哥爾摩國際水資源研究院」特若普博士(Hakan Tropp)呼籲：「若貪腐問題無法解決，原欲在千禧年達成的無安全飲用水人口減半發展目標，將無法於2015年完成。」
聯合國表示：有40%的水流失，是因為輸送管線、河渠的裂漏及非法截流所致。因應如此的狀況，WIN將從提供資訊及反貪腐配套措施予政府、企業、管理人及民間團體等單位，以協助影響國內及國際的政策。
Corruption is draining the water sector, says the Water Integrity Network, a new organization launched today to fight the dirty business. Five water organizations have joined forces with the anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International to form the new organization, announced today at World Water Week in Stockholm.
The Water Integrity Network (WIN) intends to raise awareness and facilitate effective anti-corruption actions on the ground, from influencing national policies to community initiatives involving the private and public sector.
"The World Water Week in Stockholm is an ideal platform to highlight the importance of tackling corruption in all areas of the water sector internationally," said Dr. Donal O'Leary, senior advisor at Transparency International, which hosts the WIN Secretariat.
"The Water Integrity Network hopes to help plug a leak which effectively serves as a barrier to improving the lives of poor people around the world," O'Leary said.
While supplies of fresh water are adequate for the whole planet, mismanagement in its distribution helps explain why adequate clean drinking water is beyond the reach of 1.1 billion people, while 2.6 billion people lack access to basic sanitation.
Corruption hits the poorest the hardest by forcing them to pay bribes to connect to water pipes or tankers. It inflates the cost of creating and maintaining water infrastructure and diverts irrigated water away from poor villages.
Falsified meter readings by paid-off readers, ill-advised procurement of expensive but poorly constructed facilities and bought directorships are evidences of corruption. Biased decisions are made on the allocation and location of water supplies, wastewater treatment facilities, service points and pipe systems.
As a result, citizens and especially the poor, suffer from increased water expenses, limited or denied access to services, lost dignity, poor health and eroded democracy and social equity, the new Water Integrity Network said in a statement today.
"The Millennium Development Goal target to halve the number of people without access to safe drinking water by 2015 cannot be met if corruption is not reduced," said Dr. Hakan Tropp of the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), and chair of the WIN Steering Committee.
The UN says up to 40 percent of water is lost due to water leakages in pipes, canals and illegal tapping. To address these problems, the Water Integrity Network will help to influence national and international policy by providing information and anti-corruption tool kits to governments, companies, regulators and nongovernmental groups.
