The HSBC Water Programme - Catch the Drop injected a new dose of enthusiasm in water conservation efforts in Malta as it rallied thousands of students and dozens of local councils to come on board and conserve the planet's most precious commodity.  Students from the Marsa Primary School held a walkabout around their neighbourhood and distributed flyers carrying messages about water conservation.

World Water Day' week-long celebrations began at the Archbishop Seminary, where HSBC Water Programme - Catch the Drop unveiled its latest water saving project, called Hippo. Hippo bags, filled with water, are placed in the water cisterns of rest-room systems and reduce the amount of water expelled with every cistern flush. It is estimated that the Hippo bags installed by the school in its rest-room system save on average 1,500 litres of water every day. Students of the school have been encouraged to install Hippo bags in their homes to save water.

At the Presidential Palace in Valletta, President of Malta H.E. Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca inaugurated an art exhibition on water, amidst song and dance performances by students from St Ignatius College.

Meanwhile, passengers arriving at the Malta International Airport received t-shirts, caps, and booklets as the HSBC Water Programme - Catch the Drop joined hands with the Malta Airport Foundation to broaden the scope of its public outreach.

Surrounded on three sides by water, Valletta was aptly the centre of closing activities as HSBC Water Programme - Catch the Drop announced the winner of grants for water-conservation projects. These included 18 schools and one local council. Another 5 schools will receive the technical support required so that their proposal can be considered for the grants next year. The Gozo winners of grants by HSBC Water Programme - Catch the Drop will be announced during a separate event in April.

Experts shared perspectives on water sustainability and international best practices during a water conference titled 'New Water: A strategic resource for the Maltese Islands' that marked the culmination of the week-long celebration of water. 

HSBC Water Programme - Catch the Drop is the largest ever campaign of its kind in Malta and aims to forge a blueprint for progress on sustainability of water as a resource.