before 1997, for example, many people in eastern manila, in the philippines, were not connected to the water system and were paying six times the municipal rates to buy low-quality water from informal dealers. delivery costs drove the high prices: the municipal system was being tapped illegally, and the water was transferred to trucks, passed to intermediaries, and sold door-to-door in jerry cans, leaving it vulnerable to contamination. manila water, a private consortium, found ways to connect more people to the city system, reduce the trade in pilfered water, and bring costs down for millions of people. the company benefits economically from the increased volumes being used, but it also has created public value by improving people's access to clean, less expensive water.