Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) and The Honkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, India (HSBC India) today unveiled an urban water, hygiene and sanitation community centre ‘Suvidha’ at Malwani in Malad. Chief Executive Officer of HSBC India, Surendra Rosha and HUL Chairman and Managing Director Sanjiv Mehta, inaugurated the centre.
Suvidha, is a sustainable community centre which addresses the hygiene needs of low income urban households who face severe challenges due to lack of infrastructure and facilities. The centre provides flush toilets, handwashing facilities with soap, clean showers, safe drinking water and state-of-the-art laundry operations at an affordable cost. The new centre – built jointly by HSBC India and HUL, will cater to about 2800 people living in the area.
Surendra Rosha, CEO, HSBC India said, “This project demonstrates what can be achieved when key stakeholders – the government, the private sector, the social sector and the community – come together to devise solutions for the pressing problem of urban sanitation. I am delighted that HUL and HSBC have come together for this shared concern. I thank the teams associated with this initiative for their enormous efforts.”
Thanking the local community, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, the philanthropic partner, United Way Mumbai and the programme implementing partner-Pratha Samajik Sanstha, the organisation that will oversee the centre’s operation, HUL Chairman and Managing Director Sanjiv Mehta said, “We are extremely proud of our partnership with HSBC in setting up the Suvidha Centre at Malvani. We believe the centre will make a tangible difference to the quality of lives of the residents in this locality.”
The Suvidha centre uses circular economy principles to reduce water use. Fresh water is first used for brushing teeth, bathing, hand-washing and laundry. The waste water from these activities becomes the input for flushing toilets. This will help save an estimated 5 million litres of water per annum.
A distinctive feature of the Suvidha centre is a dry waste segregation facility created under the guidance of UNDP. This facility will act as a collection point and store dry waste to be sent for recycling.
Paired with a behaviour change programme on safe drinking water, good sanitation and hygiene practices and plastic waste management, the objective is to prevent littering and help create a clean and healthy environment for the community. The dry waste facility also aims to enhance the livelihood of Safai Saathis (rag pickers) and their family members living in the Malwani slums, by integrating them into the system in partnership with UNDP.
About Hindustan Unilever Limited
Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is India's largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods company with a heritage of over 85 years in India. On any given day, nine out of ten Indian households use our products to feel good, look good and get more out of life – giving us a unique opportunity to build a brighter future. For more information visit www.hul.co.in
About HSBC Bank India
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited in India offers a full range of banking and financial services through 26 branches across 14 cities. HSBC is one of India's leading financial services groups, with over 38,000 employees in its banking, investment banking and capital markets, asset management, software development and global resourcing operations in the country. It is a leading custodian in India. The Bank is at the forefront in arranging deals for Indian companies investing overseas and foreign investments into the country.
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited is the founding member of the HSBC Group, which serves our customers through four global businesses: Retail Banking and Wealth Management, Commercial Banking, Global Banking and Markets, and Global Private Banking. The Group serves customers worldwide in 66 countries and territories in our geographical regions: Europe, Asia, North America, Latin America, and Middle East and North Africa. With assets of US$2,659bn at 31 March 2019, HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations.
About United Way Mumbai
United Way Mumbai is part of a 134-year-old global United Way movement, which is widely recognised as the largest privately funded philanthropic network. United Way Mumbai works pan India to mobilise the caring power of the community with program focus on education, health, income, environment, public safety and inclusion.