Preventing corruption, encouraging transparency and accountability in the water and sanitation sector : a case study from Kerala, India

Many see corruption as a huge obstacle in undermining development efforts generally and those in the water and sanitation sector specifically. It is mostly agreed that the key to its eradication is through efforts to increase accountability and transparency. This paper sets out how this was done in a water and sanitation project, Jalanidhi, in
Kerala State. It indicates that success was considerable and corruption reduced through the direct involvement of community members in the detail and management of the project. This is despite the fact that opposition was encountered from some sources. [authors abstract]

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