TUNIS, Sept 23 (AFP) Sep 23, 2008

Corrupt governments and the greed of Western companies is blighting the
supply of water in Africa and killing millions of children worldwide, a
leading NGO said Tuesday.

Peter Eigen, the outgoing president of Transparency International, told
a press conference in Tunis that Africa is "one of the most corrupt
regions" and that this is "hindering progress on improving water and
sanitation facilities.

"Corruption kills 11 million children aged under five each year, who die
from curable diseases or due to lack of water or sanitation," Eigan said.

Eigen also said 1.2 billion people worldwide suffer from a lack of
potable water and 2.6 from a lack of sanitation.

"Western countries are in no position to criticise others, considering
the way their companies behave," he added.

Transparency International's report, written by one of their experts
Donal O'Leary, accuses governments and corporations of "indulging in
corruption with decision makers and perpetuates poverty that their
people live in."

The document also accuses China and Spain of being "water polluters that
overexploit their natural resources and indulging in corrupt practices."

The NGO says Lesotho and India have diverted funds and manipulated
markets. Paraguay, Malawi, Equator, Bangladesh, Mauritania, Kenya and
Zimbabwe are equally cited for their poor management of water and
sanitation infrastructure.

The hydroelectricity sector, which is worth 50 billion dollars (34.1
billion euros) of investment each year, is affected by corruption in
India, Argentina, Paraguay, China, Indonesia and Zambia.

Transparency International says greater participation from third-sector
organisations and political will is needed to fight against corruption.

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