India, Oct. 23 -- India is grappling with the changes in geographical distribution and frequency of disasters due to climate change. The recent Nepal's disaster, killing around 1500 people and thousands still missing, stirred up global consciousness and was also an eyeopener for India. Devastating floods owing to glaciers or cloudbursts, landslides, cyclones, heatwaves, coastal erosion, and extreme rainfall are no longer exceptional events confined to a few vulnerable districts. These catastrophes pose serious challenges to India and therefore, there is a need to move from aftermath response to disaster preparedness. It is high time to switch from a largely administrative model to one in which communities themselves become the first line ...