The scale of urbanisation in South Asia has already surpassed the provision of infrastructure. The preparedness to cope up and address emergencies are highly short of the desired requirements. Climate change and its impact is further dragging cities into new vortex of risk. The talk by Prof. Santosh Kumar, Executive Director, NIDM and Director, SAARC Disaster Management Center, followed by discussions with Mr.Kamal Kishore, member in the National Disaster Management Authority, will uncover the key challenges in South Asia which need to be part of the thinking and practice of all sections of the society in the region.