NEW DELHI, March 22: India will join the global movement of Earth Hour today, which is the world’s largest grassroots environmental initiative, with a unique emphasis on water conservation. This year’s event is particularly significant as it coincides with World Water Day, promoting the message of taking action for the planet, especially in the context of preserving one of the planet’s most vital resources — water.

Earth Hour, which is observed annually in March from 8:30 PM to 9:30 PM, is the world’s biggest global lights-off event. During this hour, millions of people around the world switch off all non-essential lights as a symbolic gesture of their commitment to environmental conservation and climate action. In India, the event will see iconic landmarks, monuments, public and private institutions, businesses, and communities participating in the lights-off initiative, showcasing their shared commitment to sustainability.

This year’s Earth Hour theme, “Be Water Wise,” underscores the urgent need for water conservation and the implementation of sustainable water management practices. The initiative urges individuals and communities to recognize the growing challenge of water scarcity and take steps towards efficient usage.

Earth Hour was launched in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in collaboration with The Sydney Morning Herald. The simple yet powerful idea behind the event was to switch off lights for one hour to make a global statement about the need to combat climate change. Since then, it has become a worldwide movement for environmental conservation.