Water is life — and access to it at a fair price is key for health and economic success. But hundreds of millions of people around the globe suffer from water scarcity. A large proportion of people in developing nations live without consistent indoor water service — or are forced to buy drinking water from private vendors. These informal water markets serve millions of people in major cities in nations such as Indonesia, Brazil, India and South Africa. But due to a lack of price information and the inability of customers to communicate their feedback, many of the water vendors can overcharge — with prices reaching 20 to 30 times what other customers may pay
