Davos, Switzerland, January 24, 2007—Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and the Safe Water Network today announced a program to develop small-scale, community-based solutions to bring safe water to neglected populations. The 12-month program will target several developing geographies, potentially including Bangladesh, China, India, Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, where distributed water purification technology solutions are expected to improve community access to clean drinking water. 

Deloitte Global CEO William G. Parrett, along with Kurt Soderlund, chief operating officer of the Safe Water Network, announced the Deloitte member firm commitment to the clean water initiative and outlined the objectives of the program for the next 12 months. These include:

• Empowering local communities to improve their living conditions through the deployment of distributed water purification technology.
• Demonstrating alternative models to deploy water purification solutions, including micro-enterprise programs that establish local water entrepreneurs and social investment programs such as supplying water purification to local health clinics.
• Developing plans that support broad scale deployment of solutions to materially improve the health and living conditions for the millions afflicted by water-borne illnesses.

Mr. Parrett said, "Many communities face severe water shortages that hinder their development. Deloitte member firms are proud to work with the Safe Water Network to help bring what we see as practical solutions to local communities. The Deloitte network of member firms—including approximately 135,000 people in nearly 140 countries, can bring knowledge and expertise to define local needs, and help deliver technology and other solutions to deliver clean water."

Mr. Soderlund explained, "Our plan is based on deploying geographically appropriate solutions that can be used at the community level. With the help of Deloitte member firms, we will assess how water purification solutions perform under various local conditions and gather critical data to develop sustainable and scaleable implementation plans. Recognizing that deployment models will vary depending on the community, we expect to define opportunities that will have a positive impact on millions of people worldwide." 

Nearly 1.1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water and 90 percent of deaths from water-related diseases in the developing world today occur in children less than five years. "In different ways, at different ages, access to adequate water and sanitation services influences everybody's health, education, life expectancy, well-being and social development," notes Mr. Parrett. "Water is fundamental to human life, community development, and long-term sustainability."

The Safe Water Network's initial priority is to demonstrate the applicability of an innovative Vapor Compression Distillation (VCD) water purification solution being developed by DEKA Research & Development, Safe Water Network board member Dean Kamen's firm. The technology is being optimized for developing world settings to ensure ease-of-use, low maintenance, versatility, portability and affordability. It is also capable of addressing virtually all contaminants. With output of approximately 350 gallons of pure water daily, each unit provides a community-scale solution that meets the potable water needs of approximately 100 people.

A short-term field trial completed in July 2006 in Honduras provided key learning on the utilization of these units for remote field settings and processes to ensure proper storage and community use of the purified water. Working in conjunction with Deloitte member firms and water-sector organizations, Safe Water Network will support extended field trials for DEKA’s VCD water purification units in 2007. The primary objectives of these trials will be to demonstrate the technology's effectiveness in different environments and to evaluate several market-driven and social enterprise approaches for deployment and utilization.

The Safe Water Network initiative was created by several members of the board of the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP) in partnership with other business and philanthropic leaders. CECP is the only international forum of business CEOs and chairpersons pursuing a mission focused exclusively on corporate philanthropy. The Safe Water Network board shares members with the board of the CECP, including co-founder Mr. Paul Newman, Mr. Robert Forrester, Mr. Steven Reinemund, Mr. John Whitehead and Mr. Parrett. Other members of the Safe Water Network board include Mr. Hank Greenberg, Ms. Teresa Heinz, Mr. Jack Hennessy, Mr. Dean Kamen and Mr. Josh Weston.

Deloitte Global CEO William G. Parrett is on the board of CECP and the Safe Water Network.

About Deloitte
Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, a Swiss Verein, its member firms, and their respective subsidiaries and affiliates. Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu is an organization of member firms around the world devoted to excellence in providing professional services and advice, focused on client service through a global strategy executed locally in nearly 140 countries. With access to the deep intellectual capital of 135,000 people worldwide, Deloitte delivers services in four professional areas—audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services—and serves more than 80 percent of the world's largest companies, as well as large national enterprises, public institutions, locally important clients, and successful, fast-growing global growth companies.

Services are not provided by the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Verein, and, for regulatory and other reasons, certain member firms do not provide services in all four professional areas.

As a Swiss Verein (association), neither Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu nor any of its member firms has any liability for each other’s acts or omissions. Each of the member firms is a separate and independent legal entity operating under the names "Deloitte," "Deloitte & Touche," "Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu" or other related names.

About Safe Water Network
The Safe Water Network is a not-for-profit organization established to develop and deploy new, economically viable water purification technology to provide safe water to neglected populations – a critical global issue impacting more than 1 billion people. Safe Water Network is not affiliated with any governmental organization, and is governed by a Board of philanthropic and business leaders who have each provided significant seed funding to launch this project. We seek to serve as a catalyst for the validation and deployment of water purification technology solutions thereby empowering communities to address their local health issues.