The Face of Disasters 2019 report was released by the Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society (SEEDS). The report is aimed at bringing about a conversation on building a sustainable future, which is beyond response to disasters.

• Key Findings: While the Indian Meteorological Department has predicted a “normal” monsoon this year, the “average” rainfall figures hide extremes of floods and droughts across the country. 
  
  
• Example: During the June to September monsoon of 2018, Punjab experienced a “normal” monsoon. However, that figure masked the fact that Ropar saw 71% excess rainfall while Ferozepur experienced a 74% shortage. 
  
  
• Reasons: Other disasters are hidden because of slow-onset or they may be affecting ignored populations or occurring at the same time as more high profile disasters. 

Eight key areas have emerged that will be critical to consider as we look ahead, as per the report:

1. Water and the changing nature of disaster risk: A ‘new normal’ of rainfall variability is bringing challenges of too much and too little water, often in parallel.
2. No disaster is ‘natural’: Risks lurking under the radar slip through the cracks because they don’t meet the idea of a ‘natural disaster’.
3. The silent events: The disasters that go unseen leave those affected at even greater risk.
4. Land becomes water (and water becomes land): Changes to the coastline are already affecting livelihood sources and will be hotspots for vulnerability in the future.
5. The complexity of disaster impact: Beyond official ‘damages’, the long-term and uncaptured disaster impacts have life-changing consequences for affected communities.
6. The urban imperative: Risk is rapidly urbanising and will affect everyone.
7. Transformations in the third pole: Himalayan glaciers are melting, with serious implications for the whole region.
8. Planning for what you can’t see: Earthquake risk is looming large under the radar, but are we prepared?