News stories
News items on corruption issues and measures to promote transparency, accountability and integrity in the water sector from IRC's newsletter Source Weekly.
Malawi: sacked water minister arrested
16 Sep 05
Malawi police arrested the recently sacked water minister Gwanda Chakuamba on 14 September 2005 for allegedly insulting President Bingu wa Mutharika.
Privatisation: can it get water flowing to the poor?
05 Sep 05
In a commentary published in the Financial Times, Swedish analyst Fredrik Segerfeldt counters the arguments of water activists who say that water privatisation does not benefit the poor. While he claims that water privatisation in developing countries has usually had “good results”, new research has revealed high rates of failure for public-private partnerships (PPPs) in the 1990s.
Pro-poor governance: Bangalore water utility responds to demands from slums
02 Sep 05
The Indian city of Bangalore is showing how external forces can influence a water utility to begin responding to demands from slums for improved performance and accountability.
Former president of Thames Water Chile fined
02 Sep 05
Chile's securities regulator (SVS) has slapped Eduardo Verdugo, the former president of Thames Water Chile and water utility Essbio, with a US$ 162,000 fine for alleged payment and contract irregularities.
Mombassa water officials under fire
02 Sep 05
Some of the directors of the recently launched Mombassa Water and Sewerage Company have come under fire. They are allegedly relatives and friends of the mayor of Mombassa.
Taiwan: amateur enviro-spies
01 Sep 05
To catch polluters, the governmentof Taiwan is turning to volunteers with digital cameras.
Nepal officials sentenced for corruption
23 Aug 05
The controversial Royal Commission for Corruption Control (RCCC) has given former premier Sher Bahadur Deuba and former minister Prakash Man Singh a jail sentence of two years and a fine of Rs 90 million each.
Regulation: participation of regulators in utility-to-government contracts?
19 Aug 05
Utilities in the water, electricity, transportation, and telecommunications sectors enter into agreements with governments for a variety of issues. Some may be "privatisation" projects and others service delivery contracts with the state-owned utility. Often these agreements do not meet the expectations of the governments and consumers alike for a number of reasons.
Jamaica: NSWMA faces charges of corruption
08 Aug 05
In two recent reports of the Contractor General, the National Solid Waste Management Authority is accused of corruption and mismanagement.
Nepal: Norway stops Melamchi water project
05 Aug 05
Norway announced on 21 July 2005 the termination of its financial assistance to the Melamchi Water Supply Project, as it considers the developments inn Nepal after February 1 as a serious setback to multi-party democracy.
