India, Oct. 13 -- This year's theme for Disaster Preparedness Day, observed on October 13 2025, Fund resilience, not disasters, could not be more timely. India has witnessed widespread floods and landslides across the country this year. By August 31, there had already been 3,502 disaster-related deaths - an 87 per cent increase since 2022 - and extreme weather on 235 of 243 days, a 42 per cent rise over the same period, according to India's Atlas on Weather Disasters published by Down To Earth and the Centre for Science and Environment.

During this monsoon season, 249 districts recorded excess or large excess rainfall. Half of these were in north-western India - particularly Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Uttarakhand - as well as the Unio...