Crime, Corruption, Terrorism and Beyond: A Typology of Water Crime
Publisher: The Human Face of Water Security
Author(s): Kyungmee Kim and Ashok Swain
Date: 2017
Topics: Governance, Renewable Resources
Water security is a multifaceted concept that spreads over political, social, economic and biophysical fields, becoming increasingly important in the age of looming global water crises. Previous research outcomes suggest that escalating global water crises are the results of governance failure not limited to physical shortages of freshwater resources. Water crime is defined in both procedural and moral terms as wrongdoings determined within the legal justice systems and social norms. This chapter explores water crimes in different dimensions with examples from the Global North and South and establishes typologies as follows: mismanagement of water resources causing significant social harms and environmental damage; corruption allowing allocation of water resources for a favoured party, using public office for private economic and political gains and adding payments for more effective service delivery; and, terrorism targeting water infrastructure and systems and affecting water security in water scarce regions. A broader framework to understand the multiple dimensions of water crime is an essential precondition for establishing a comprehensive strategy for achieving water security.