IN HOT WATER: Many Viennese are up in arms over a movement by restaurateurs to start charging for tap water, which is seen as a birthright in the Austrian capital.

COINCIDENCE? Eleven restaurants are participating in a campaign meant to collect funds for clean-water-starved Sierra Leone. But they are pocketing half the water fee and prominent restaurateurs are starting to lobby for an obligatory tap water charge, unrelated to aid for Africa, just as the charity program has begun.

CARRYING WATER: Proponents of charging for water deny that their calls are linked to the charity project, saying guests do not realize the extra costs and work that serving those free glasses entails.