Concern continues to grow over the unreliability of water servi
ces in many developing countries. The poor are particularly affected by financial and
health implications of water service interruptions. This summary of my research review
s some of the behaviors that households adopt to cope with unreliable water services, a
nd analyzes household preferences for improved services in Guatemala, Mexico, and Nic
aragua. Findings indicate that many households are willing to pay for improved w
ater services. In addition to providing guidance for policies aimed to improve water servi
ces, this summary is intended to motivate researchers to study the causes and effect
s of unreliable water services in developing countries.
