New Delhi, January 27, 2021.

As India celebrated its 72^nd Republic Day, Harpic Mission Paani hosted its first Waterthon celebrating the country’s water heroes. The 8-Hour long Waterthon brought together leading policy makers, celebrities from all walks of life, the Armed Forces and corporates to address the criticality of water for hygiene and conservation.

India’s largest Waterthon witnessed a series of thought-provoking sessions deliberating on efficient solutions and the need to prioritize efforts towards water conservation. Mission Paani has partnered with WWF-India and Swarovski Waterschool to mobilise their Waterschool curriculum for encouraging early water conservation habits in children.

Laxman Narasimhan, Global CEO, Reckitt Benckiser Group commented, “Hosting India’s largest Waterthon on Republic Day is highly symbolic and a matter of pride for us at RB. People from all walks of life have come together today on the Harpic Mission Paani platform, united towards a common goal of saving water. This day has celebrated India’s water heroes who have selflessly led and addressed the criticality of water for hygiene. We are hopeful that Harpic with its key initiatives will successfully drive behavior change towards water conservation and hygiene with Mission Paani.”

Speaking on building purpose-led brands, Harold vanden Broek, President, RB Hygiene said “At RB, we are pioneers of Health, Hygiene and Nutrition and we deliver our purpose- to protect heal and nurture in the relentless pursuit of a cleaner and healthier world. Our brands like Harpic, Finish and Lysol have been at the forefront of driving behaviour change. We are committed to building brands with purpose with a clearly defined fight that is linked to key societal issues in line with UN’s defined Sustainability Development Goals.”

Actor and Mission Paani Ambassador, Akshay Kumarsaid,“Water is a wealth we have to conserve. The demand for water will rise by 40 percent in the next 9 years, which is something we will not be able to fulfill. Add to that, there are chances of a water crisis taking place in 28% of the country for which we all will be responsible. At the rate that humanity is going, in next 100 years, we will finish all the water available. Water can be sold at the rate of gold, it can even be costlier. We might even see a war on it. There might come a time where there won't be rivers, lakes. We will struggle to even find a drop. It is the need of the hour for us to take a pledge to save water so that we can live a life of a better tomorrow.”

At the event Narasimhan Eswar, Senior Vice President, South Asia,RB Hygiene, said, “Saving water is now more important than ever before. The pandemic has taught us that high levels of sanitation and hygiene are essential for all sections of society. Harpic Mission Paani is a defining people’s movement, aimed at creating a more direct impact on water, hygiene and sanitation.Our aim with Harpic Mission Paani’s ‘Swachhtaaur Paani’ campaign is to increase awareness and encourage citizens on the urgency for efficient usage and conservation of water as well as hygienic sanitation.”

Sukhleen Aneja, CMO & Marketing Director, RB Hygiene, South Asia said, “Children hold the key to our future and are hence the best evangelists for Mission Paani. With Harpic's Mission Paani we wish to bring about a lasting behaviour change. Last year, we released the Water anthem co-created with legendary AR Rahman and rendered by an all-children's choir urging India on the need for using water responsibly. This year Mission Paani has partnered with WWF and Swarovski School of Water to launch and has mobilised the water  curriculum focused on teaching children the importance of water conservation from an early stage.”