39 Enterprise Management nection owned emergency lights which they charged at their neighbour’s house everyday and paid MMK 50-100 ($0.05-$0.1) for it. One ME did not have electricity connection and used a solar panel. San (rice snack seller, Bago) used a solar panel for electricity which she charged every afternoon and used at night. She bought it one year back for MMK 60,000 ($60) as it was advertised on TV and had to sell her land worth MMK 500,000 ($500) to buy it. Some of the MEs lit candles or used a kerosene lamp every night. 3.7.2 WATER For water, MEs relied on their neighbours and water sellers. Soe (potter, Bago) bought 600 litres of water from the neighbour’s house everyday for MMK 200 ($0.2) as he did not have any water supply. Naing (PoP statue maker, Bago) soaked the powder (plaster of paris) in water to make statues. He did not have any water supply so used his mother’s well. Than (fish monger, Bago) bought water from the water seller (who got water from the river and carried it manually) who charged according to the distance. This gives a very clear picture of the public utilities in Myanmar and furthermore, the MEs dependency on the alternatives. Some of the MEs who operated businesses out of their homes had electricity connections while some still charged their rechargeable lights at their neighbours’. It was worse for those who still used candles to work at night. Markets suffered from limited electricity access as well. Those with business registrations managed to get electricity while those who occupied the roads and pavements used battery run lights. It was a similar story with water. Some of the MEs had to buy water due to lack of pipelines and wells so they relied on other sources like water sellers and neighbours. Women fetch water from the well and carry in a cart in Mandalay 3.8 SUPPLIERS Most of the respondents had fixed suppliers in the local markets who they visited either daily or weekly. They either knew them from before or were introduced by their friends who were in the same business. Most of the MEs preferred going themselves to buy the materials to ensure quality and fair price. Naing (PoP maker, Bago) got plaster from the main market. He bought plaster from one shopkeeper as he was satisfied with his plaster quality. Maung (coconut doormat maker, Bago) got the fiber from the main market and Downtown, Yangon