This post has been written by Birke Otto of the Water Integrity
Network, a global coalition stimulating anti-corruption
activities in the water sector locally, nationally and globally.
As the climate talks at the COP15 open with urgent calls for
action, massive funds will be mobilized to manage climate change
adaptation and mitigation. If not managed and governed
adequately, large sums will be lost in corruption and
mismanagement. New investments will flow into the water sector
to adapt to climate change The water sector is heavily affected
by the consequences and impacts of climate change. Increasing
floods and droughts force people to move their homes and
threaten their means for subsistence. It is predicted that 2/3
of the world’s population will live in areas with water stress
in 2025, out of whom 15% will live in areas with real water
scarcity. As so often, it is the poor who are most severely
affected by the negative impacts of climate change. To secure
future water resources and adequately manage the e