MUMBAI: Owing to the major water crisis plaguing the country, Radio City in association with Sunday-Mid-day initiated ‘Bucket Sundays’ campaign to address the issue of increasing scarcity of water. The campaign urged Mumbaikars to use only one bucket of water every Sunday instead of taking a shower to avoid excess wastage of running water. The campaign garnered tremendous support not only from the citizens, but also from Bollywood celebrities like Malaika Arora, Boman Irani, Esha Gupta, Amaal Malik, etc. who extended their support to the initiative on social media platforms.

Following suit, Radio City in association with inext extended the initiative to Uttar Pradesh, Eastern markets with ‘Ek Balti Sunday’ - Iss baar kasam khao, har Sunday sirf ek Balti paani se nahao’ campaign. Elaborately executed in three phases, the campaign started with an awareness phase wherein citizens were educated about the issue with actual facts and figures about the looming water crisis. Radio City RJs and team inext then pledged to use only one bucket of water every Sunday and encouraged the audience to take pledge too. During the final phase of the campaign, the ‘Balti anthem’ released on social media struck the right chord with the audience and garnered a staggering digital reach. Influential celebrities like Abhay Deol, Niti Mohan, Aparshakti Khurana, etc. also extended their appreciation for the initiative by pledging their support.

Speaking about the initiative, Radio City chief creative officer Kartik Kalla said, “We at Radio City have always been the forerunners in addressing issues that plague the city and its citizens. Water scarcity is one of the major issues that country is currently battling and as a mass platform, Radio City took up the mantle to bring about a change with ‘EK Balti Sunday’ and ‘Bucket Sundays’ campaigns. By extensively and aggressively promoting the campaigns on-air, on-ground, in print and on digital platforms, 1,07,58,400 liters of water was successfully saved in just 4 weeks. This incredible feat is a testimony to our belief that initiatives like these will go a long way in bringing about the change we are waiting to see in our society, and it makes us really glad to see the impact created by these campaigns.”

Bucket Sundays and Ek Balti Sunday garnered an overwhelming response across Radio City, Mid-day, and in ext’s social media platforms.  Celebrities and citizens took up the ‘Single Bucket Challenge’ and posted video snippets to motivate people to work towards water conservation. A mass awareness was created on-ground by visiting corporates and societies at large to spread the initiative across cities.

In India, at least 200,000 people die every year due to lack of access to safe water and 75 percent of households do not have access to drinking water. With initiatives like these, Radio City continues to leverage the power of radio in bringing about a positive change in the society.