I read the article "Tapped Out" with quite some interest. Here in Pakistan, a less-developed country in economic terms, bottled water is on the rise for different reasons than on the Brown campus (Elms, January/February). People in Pakistan drink bottled water because tap water may be polluted and undrinkable.

The article also mentions that water be considered a public resource. Water is a scarce bottled resource and should be priced accordingly. The price reflects the willingness of customers to buy the product. They will determine its success, and so direct intervention is probably not a good idea.

Yasser Shah '99
Lahore, Pakistan