Every morning, as we start the day, we take for granted the usage of water for such simple acts as flushing the toilet, washing or having coffee. However, millions of people worldwide are unable to do the same as their homes lack any supply of drinking water just as they have no sanitation installations. 

It was out of a conviction that such a problem was not unsolvable that Gary White and Matt Damon teamed up to find solutions to one of the world’s greatest challenges: access to water. 

The story behind how this improbable duo, a hydraulic engineer and an actor, came to found Water.org and develop solutions for improving access to clean water and/or sanitation is told in the book “The Value of Water”, now published in a Portuguese edition by Bizâncio.

“The Value of Water” tells the story of lives transformed by access to water on a path that spans contact with communities in such need of this precious resource through to decision-making centres to provide an effective account of how small actions can make big differences. 

With noble objectives – health and greater prosperity for persons all around the world -, “The Value of Water” invites us to pool our efforts to overcome the global problem of access to drinking water. 

The Águas de Portugal Group thus associates with this publication of “The Value of Water” in the certainty that this is going to contribute to fostering greater awareness around the valuation of this resource that is as valuable as it is scarce.

“Accompanying the authors in this description of how access to water brings about transformations in the lives of people is an inspiring and motivating experience as we recognise the values and commitments that we share,” highlighted José Furtado, President of the Águas de Portugal Group. “The stories, apparently simple but with great impact, demonstrate how investment in water and sanitation are essential to making a difference in the lives of people and societies.”

The launching of the Portuguese edition of “The Value of Water” book on World Water Day (22nd March) holds the objective of nurturing the belief that we are all equally responsible for “the change that we want to see in the world” and calls on us all to act responsibly in our usage and consumption of water at home, in the community, in our productive activities and in the management of water in general. 

Water holds a core importance to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations Agenda 2030 that strive to leverage the actions necessary to achieving the objectives and targets of SDG6 – Water, hosting a conference dedicated to water in New York between 22nd and 24th March.

All the royalties from book sales are donated by the authors to Water.org.