"You have a million people dying a year, just completely needlessly, because they lack access to clean water," says Damon, speaking to CNBC on Thursday, the 25th annual World Water Day, which serves to call attention to the problem.
Further, 4.5 billion people around the world lack access to safely managed sanitation, according to the same report.
Around the world, many people have to walk long distances to find a water source and others have to wait in long lines and pay large percentages of their income to secure any water at all, explain Damon and Gary White, who, along with Damon, co-founded the non-profit organization Water.org and the non-profit impact investment fund manager WaterEquity.
"Today, 200 million hours will be spent by women and girls walking to collect water," says White, speaking to CNBC.
Less time getting water means more time for work, school, play, family and life.
To work to solve this crisis, Damon and White came together in 2009 to launch Water.org, a non-profit that works to provide access to clean drinking water in 13 countries around the world: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Asia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Brazil, Honduras and Peru.
So if you could front them the money for a connection to the system that exists, you are buying their time back.
With small loans, women are empowered to give their families water at home.
"We take those funds and invest them in enterprises that serve the poor in terms of their water and sanitation needs," says White.
"The basic math on it is that every million that comes into the fund, over the seven-year life, 100,000 people get access to water or sanitation….

Watermarks help protect images from misuse but Getty is aiming to use the watermark for something bigger.
On World Water Day, on Thursday, March 22, Getty launched Watermarks for Water, an image licensing platform that donates 10 percent of all proceeds to help communities in third-world countries obtain clean drinking water.
With the initiative, Getty said it is removing the watermark on the images while removing impurities from the water.
The website also allows users to support the cause by sharing images on social media.
When shared, the image includes both the watermark and a fact on clean drinking water to help raise awareness for the cause.
Along with selling the images inside the collection, a gallery showing of 25 of those images launched in New York City.
Watermarks for Water works toward one of the goals of the United Nations Global Goals campaign.
Getty was one of the founding partners for that initiative when the campaign launched in 2015.
“One of the things that struck us the most when working with Getty Images on this campaign is that more people die from drinking impure water than from war,” Liz Taylor, chief creative officer of FCB Chicago, said in a statement.
“That insight led us to take one of Getty Images’ most recognizable assets, the watermark, and flip the idea on its head — what if, by removing watermarks, we could start a global movement to bring clean water to those around the world who lack it.” The Watermarks for Water images are available for sharing and licensing at watermarksforwater.com.

Over the past two years, my colleagues and I have studied the Canadian water sector with an eye to better understanding its risks.
Infrastructure tops the list The first category includes infrastructure risks that can result in wasted water and water contamination.
These risks are often the domain of the technical experts, but we sometimes neglect important social considerations.
People don’t like to pay for the true cost of water.
But the second and third categories of risk to freshwater supply are more problematic.
While Canadian water service providers recognize some of the potential consequences of these threats, they spend less time worrying about these types of risks, largely because they exist outside of their routines and they don’t have adequate data, policies or training.
In order to improve our understanding risks, we need to continue to support research so we can understand them better.
We also need to allow those in the water sector and researchers to exchange information and learn from each other.
Environmental groups are opposed to fracking, for example, because they believe that fracking will contaminate the water supply, and that the consequences could be irreversible.
These approaches also lack clear indicators of who is paying the price for failing to advance new policies, and how we can provide evidence that people will accept before moving ahead with new policies.

BRUSSELS, March 22 (KUNA) — The European Union (EU) on Thursday called on all states to fulfil their obligations regarding access to safe drinking water for all without discrimination.
"Access to safe drinking water is a fundamental right but is still a challenge in many parts of the world," EU High Representative Federica Mogherini said in a Declaration to mark World Water Day.
She stressed the importance of the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, and called on all states to collaborate with the current rapporteur.
The EU statement noted that climate change is taking a toll on the drier areas of the planet.
Already, one of Africa’s largest lakes, Lake Chad, has decreased by 90 per cent as a result of climate change.
"Water is not only a driver of social and economic development but also of peace and security.
The availability of water is one of the key factors that can lead to conflicts and mass displacements," warned the EU foreign policy chief.
(end) nk.msa

Severely restricted access to safe/clean drinking water has been one of the biggest issues having plagued many earthquake affected rural communities in the aftermath of the earthquake.
In response to this environmental issue, the Emergency Disaster Restoration Team (EDRT) is now exploring the use of water purifiers to minimise the long term cost and environmental impact of relief operations.
EDRT controller, Dr William Hamblin said on Tuesday that preliminary water testing in the Kikori area is already being carried out by the United Nations Disaster Assessment Coordination,alongside the PNG National Department of Health and the National Fisheries Authority.
He added that testing will also push further into other affected areas, before purification units will be purchased.
“We’ve been supplying it as bottled water which cannot be sustained in the longer term, because it would be an environmental disaster if we have five billion plastic bottles out there.
Water is quite heavy and therefore expensive to transport,” said Dr Hamblin.
“We’re looking at producing potable water at some of these locations.
We’ve got the quotes for those and we’re waiting for a preliminary report from the UN water experts who have been going around with the Department of Health doing test.
So if there are any heavy metals found, the water purifiers will take those out,” he said.
“A lot of areas have got thatched roofs so you can’t use that to collect water so you’ve got to have a galvanised roof or a tarp or something to hold the water,” he said.

Water and sanitation is a basic human right for all.
Yet, water scarcity affects more than 40 per cent of the global population (UN Report on Clean Water and Sanitation).
Unfortunately, in countries like South Sudan, although completely preventable, water and sanitation-related diseases are among the top killers of children under five.
Six-year old, Mary, reaches for the water pump handle well above her head to fill her large jerry can with water.
In one effortless motion, she hoists the jerry can onto her head balancing it on her head without her hands.
With the help of the South Sudan Red Cross, Mary and more than 500 community members in her village in Yambio now have access to clean, drinking water.
“The stream was making us sick,” says Victoria Richard, another villager living close by.
“In rainy season, the water would get even more dirty and when it was dry, there would be no water at all.” “Now that we have this borehole, we’re closer to clean water.” The responsibility of fetching water is traditionally the role of women and children in rural South Sudan who often have to venture far distances by foot at least three times a day.
“Red Cross is here through the power of our volunteer network to help bring water closer to the communities to ensure that women and their families are healthier and safe.” With the support of the Government of Japan, the South Sudan Red Cross is targeting 3.1 million people, including 560,000 children under five, to help prevent common illnesses in rural communities, including malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea.
Photos and content written by: Corrie Butler

MAKASSAR: Indonesian villager Mama Hasria swims upstream with about 200 empty jerry cans tied to her back, a daily trip she and other local women make to get clean water for their community on Sulawesi island.
As a scorching sun beats down, Hasria makes the four kilometre, hour-long trip along the murky Mandar river to clean water wells built along the riverbank.
There, the 46-year-old fills up her cans with clean water made drinkable by the surrounding soil which acts as a natural filter and purifier.
The work of Hasria and her fellow water collectors, who get paid about US$7 for the whole load, is vital for some 5,800 families in Tinambung district.
Thursday is World Water Day, a UN initiative which this year focuses on "nature-based" solutions for sourcing potable water globally.
Advertisement It is a challenge in Tinambung where residents have complained for years about limited access to clean water in the remote fishing village.
"Water in the village can only be used for bathing and doing laundry."
Other communities struggle with similar challenges in Indonesia, which has myriad environmental problems and the dubious distinction of hosting the filthy Citarum river, which empties into the sea near Jakarta.
A decade ago, the World Bank declared it the most-polluted river in the world.
Faced with a health emergency after decades of failed clean-up efforts, the government is stepping in with the seemingly impossible goal of making the Citarum’s water drinkable by 2025.

Safe and readily available water is important for public health, whether it is used for drinking, domestic use, food production or recreational purposes.
Poor access to clean water also undermines their development, predominantly girls who frequently miss out on education as they cover long distances to fetch clean water.
Regional issues: Cholera outbreaks caused by contaminated drinking water occur in many areas of Burundi.
A lack of access to clean water in the area means many of the children are affected by diarrheal and skin diseases.
With cholera endemic in many parts of Burundi, particularly those bordering Lake Tanganyika, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania, UNICEF is constantly working to change the scenario.
How UNICEF is helping: Hydraulic engineers working with UNICEF are helping to build systems that bring safe water to families and schools.
By finding water sources, studying flows, and building water points, UNICEF and its partners are responding to the needs of local residents.
UNICEF and its partners are working to improve access to safe water for communities, such as in Mukerezi-Mpakaniro hill, where a rainwater tank was built.
A recently inaugurated project in Muhuta hill is bringing clean water to students like Adrien, 6.
Sponsored

Over the past two years, my colleagues and I have studied the Canadian water sector with an eye to better understanding its risks.
Infrastructure tops the list The first category includes infrastructure risks that can result in wasted water and water contamination.
These risks are often the domain of the technical experts, but we sometimes neglect important social considerations.
People don’t like to pay for the true cost of water.
But the second and third categories of risk to freshwater supply are more problematic.
While Canadian water service providers recognize some of the potential consequences of these threats, they spend less time worrying about these types of risks, largely because they exist outside of their routines and they don’t have adequate data, policies or training.
In order to improve our understanding risks, we need to continue to support research so we can understand them better.
We also need to allow those in the water sector and researchers to exchange information and learn from each other.
Environmental groups are opposed to fracking, for example, because they believe that fracking will contaminate the water supply, and that the consequences could be irreversible.
These approaches also lack clear indicators of who is paying the price for failing to advance new policies, and how we can provide evidence that people will accept before moving ahead with new policies.

BHUBANESWAR: With the temperature soaring and several parts of the State starting to experience drinking water scarcity, the State Government on Tuesday directed District Collectors and Panchayati Raj Department to ensure adequate supply of water in areas facing such crisis.“There should be no scarcity of drinking water, actual or perceived, in any part of the State during summer,” Chief Secretary Aditya Padhi told District Collectors during video conferencing.Collectors have been delegated with powers of drilling new tube-wells, digging sanitary wells and repair and maintenance of all drinking water sources.
Sufficient funds have been kept in all the panchayats for this purpose.
The rate of contract for procurement of spare parts has also been finalised and block-level committees under the leadership of BDOs have been formed for procurement of materials, Padhi said.
The Chief Secretary asked Collectors to utilise funds at their disposal for engaging water tankers in most difficult areas where drinking water need of the people could not be met from existing sources.
Each block will have a control room and a nodal officer will be designated for each panchayat to monitor drinking water supply.
Sarpanchs have been directed to take stock of the situation at village-level every Friday while BDOs will review the situation every Saturday.
District Collectors will review drinking water availability every Tuesday and report to the State Government by Wednesday afternoon every week.
Secretary in Housing and Urban Development Department G Mathivathnan said control rooms have been made operational in all the urban local bodies (ULBs) from Tuesday.
The ULBs have been asked to complete maintenance of all drinking water sources before March-end and upload data on the daily water supply situation in the official website of the department for public viewing.
Mathivathnan said the department has already issued standard operating procedure (SOP) to all ULBs with a direction to follow it scrupulously.The Chief Secretary further directed to complete formation of ward-level water and sanitation committees in each ULB and identify water monitors, preferably from among women self help groups.