TII-CMS India Corruption Study 2007 : Water supply services scenario

Below Poverty Line (BPL) households in India are made to cough up about Rs 9,000 million as bribe to avail basic and need based public services. The TII-CMS India Corruption Study 2007 focused on BPL households, mostly in rural India. The coverage of this study includes all parts of the country. The study, like the earlier ones is based on CMS-PEE model where the scope is not only limited to perceptions about corruption in general, but perception in specific context of a service and, more importantly, actual experience of paying bribe by BPL households in availing one or more of the 11 selected public services. Depending on frequency of interaction, the eleven services are divided broadly into "basic services" (PDS, Hospital Service, School Education (up to 12th), Electricity Service and Water Supply Service) and "need based services" (Land Records / Registration, Housing Service, Forest, NREGS, Banking Service and Police Service (traffic and crime). This round of India Corruption Study 2007 is designed and conducted by Centre For Media Studies(CMS) in collaboration with the Transparency International India (TII). The CMS methodology for the study involved household level sample survey, exit interviews at service delivery outlets, discussions with the concerned "service providers"in each case and observations on display of information at the service delivery points. Read more on the Corruption Study's take on the Water Supply Services in India Water Supply Services * It is estimated that around 14% BPL households (7.5 million) interacted with the Water Supply Service during the last one year. * Of the total BPL households 9 percent households paid bribe to avail water supply services during the last one year. * The total amount of bribe paid by BPL households in the Water service during the last one year is estimated to be around Rs 239 million. * About 15 percent of the BPL households either paid bribe or used a contact to avail water supply service during the last one year. * Among reasons cited for paying bribe, installation/maintenance of hand pumps was reported by majority (49%) of the BPL households. * Of the households who visited for purpose other than paying bill, 56 percent visited three times or more for the water supply service during the last one year. Majority (60%) of them interacted three times or more for installation/maintenance of hand pump. * About 42 percent of the BPL households, who interacted with water supply service, thought that corruption exist in the department. Around one-fourth of the BPL households felt that corruption had increased, while half of them believed that the level of corruption had remained unchanged in the last one year. * Of those who paid bribe to get their work done in the last one year, 81 percent of them paid bribe directly to the department official/staff. * About 16 percent BPL households felt that measures taken by the government had checked corruption in Water Supply services to some extent or other. Key highlights of the report can be accessed here: Key Highlights of ICS 2007 Press Release:ICS 2007 Press Release