#Disasters are morphing, intensifying and gaining scale. For millions of the most vulnerable, our promise of building their #resilience stands strong! Each #SEEDER continues to strive and address the challenge in serving communities to thrive. @manu_seeds @anshu_seeds

Looking back to prepare ahead Odisha’s floods are not just a story of heavy rainfall. They are a story of how rainfall moves through the landscape, where rivers carry that water, and why some places are inundated again and again. SEEDS' Mallika Sarabhai looked back at what happened over these past few months. Satellite observations from 2026 show floodwater spreading across parts of the state alongside periods of heavy rainfall. But the pattern is much older than this one event. Historical satellite analysis from 2001–2018 found that around 13.96 lakh hectares of Odisha were flooded at least once, while about 2.81 lakh hectares were inundated 7–14 times. The highest recurrence is concentrated across Odisha’s coastal and deltaic districts, where flat terrain, interconnected river systems and slower drainage can allow runoff generated upstream to spread across floodplains. Balasore and Bhadrak stand out as important hotspots, with river records reinforcing the same pattern of repeated flooding. This is why understanding flood risk requires more than looking at rainfall totals alone. The more important question is: where does rainfall repeatedly become flooding? Mapping historical flood footprints alongside rainfall and river behaviour can help identify the places where anticipatory action, preparedness and resilient recovery need to be prioritised most. The trigger may change. The flood geography often does not. Our ground teams will remain on alert in Odisha to continue to support affected communities. The floods have affected lives and livelihoods, and impacts on health and well-being are a priority. #EarlyWarning #EarlyWarningForAll #ClimateAdaptation #Preparedness #CapacityBuilding #AnticipatoryAction #humanitarian #DisasterRiskPrepardness #disasterriskreduction #ClimateCrisis #ResilienceForAll #OurResilientFuture #DisasterRiskReduction #ActForOurPlanet #BuildingResilience #BuildBackBetter #RiskReady @NDMA @NIUA @nidm @Profvinod @rajeshbheda1 @manu_seeds @laggarwal28 @yezdanirahman @Archnahr @adityaverghese @ranita_sarma @SaihejB

Locally-led #innovations have a greater chance of delivering what communities seek. By keeping them at the centre of decision making, #humanitarian response is more contextual and culturally appropriate. Often communities rely on traditional knowledge too which is stepped in their alignments with their immediate environment and nature. This is a win win for all the planet and people.

A recovery that aligns with nature When a flood takes a home, rebuilding cannot simply mean putting the same thing back. After more than three decades of working alongside #disaster-affected communities, SEEDS has learnt that recovery is an opportunity to do something more: to rebuild in ways that are safer, lower-carbon, locally rooted and better prepared for the next disaster. This matters deeply in Assam. For communities living with recurring floods, a shelter is not just a roof. It must withstand the seasons, protect families from heat and rain, provide dignity and security, and be repairable and adaptable as risks change. That is why SEEDS brings #decarbonisation into disaster recovery and rebuilding. We prioritise locally available, lower-carbon materials such as earth, bamboo, stone, responsibly sourced timber, lime and recycled materials wherever appropriate. This can mean less carbon from transporting materials, while creating livelihoods for local craftspeople and suppliers. We look at the building itself too - its orientation, ventilation, shading, insulation and access to daylight - so that families can stay more comfortable while using less energy. We believe in repair and reuse before demolition and replacement: recovering materials, retaining what can be safely retained, and designing homes that can evolve as climate risks do. For Assam, this is not an abstract conversation about carbon. It is about whether a family has a shelter that can carry them through another monsoon. The seasons will keep coming. The need for safe shelter will remain. We are already on the ground working on recovery, and your support can help us rebuild not just homes, but a more #resilient future - one that is kinder to people, communities and the planet. Because recovery should not recreate yesterday’s vulnerability. It should prepare families for tomorrow. #SEEDSIndia #ClimateResilience #Decarbonisation #DisasterRecovery #ResilientRebuilding #AssamFloods #ClimateAction #SustainableReconstruction #BuildBackBetter #SupportResilience @ndmaindia @NIUA_India @nidmmhaindia @manu_seeds @yezdanirahman @archanarsharma @adityaverghese @ranita_sarma @SaihejB

Nature as a shield After the 2004 Tsunami, between 2008 and 2011, SEEDS worked in Tamil Nadu, exploring nature-based solutions such as bio shields. Alongside, three village schools were provided Risk-Ready Learning Packs that contained activity guides, hazard hunt card games, and environmental safety posters designed for school-aged children. In the 13 selected Lighthouse panchayat villages where we worked, villagers also had access to the Village Knowledge Centres. Each centre had access to two computers, a public announcement system, a blackboard displaying the list of fish and their market prices, and a mobile phone voicemail service providing daily updates on wind speed, wave height, potential fishing locations, and the day's fish market prices. During cyclones and depressions in the Bay of Bengal, it provided regular, periodic, and hourly information. P. Thamizoli follows the growth of the bio shields planted 15 years ago and mentions the changes it has brought to communities. In our work in Cuddalore in 2025, we worked with artisanal fisherfolk, women, and smallholder farmers to restore native coastal vegetation -bio shields - to reduce exposure to wind, salt spray, and seawater intrusion. The initiative demonstrated strong community acceptance. In climate-vulnerable geographies, working with communities at risk provides them the opportunity to build in resilience to withstand the onslaught of an extreme weather event. #NatureBasedSolutions #ecology #ClimateChange #ClimateAdaptation #AnticipatoryAction #NatureForLife #ClimateCrisis #ActOnClimate #ProtectOurPlanet #CleanAirCleanFuture #SaveOurPlanet #ReduceReuseRecycle #GoGreen #GlobalWarming @ADRRN1 @manu_seeds @yezdanirahman @Ranita_Sarma

The water may recede. The risk remains. Assam’s 2026 floods tell a bigger story than rainfall alone Our teams continue to remain in Assam following this year's flooding. Looking back at what happened early this year. In Upper Assam, water rose quickly and reached places many communities had not seen in decades. By late July, close to seven lakh people had been affected. @SeedsIndia's research associate Mallika Sarabhai analysed what happened in June and July, and something striking showed up. The season was not continuously wetter than normal. Rain came in sharp bursts, while #floodwater spread, retreated and returned in patterns that did not always follow rainfall over #Assam itself. Upstream rainfall, swollen tributaries, the Brahmaputra’s already high water levels and the way water moves through this connected landscape all shaped what communities experienced. Climate change is making intense rainfall events more frequent, adding another layer of #uncertainty to an already flood-prone state. Even after the water recedes, the crisis does not end. Families are left with damaged homes, contaminated water, lost crops, broken livelihoods and the difficult task of starting again. In the immediate response, SEEDS worked with flood-affected communities to meet immediate shelter, water and hygiene needs while supporting safer early recovery. The urgent task now is to help families #BuildBackBetter, restore #livelihoods and strengthen the #resilience they will need for the floods and climate shocks still to come. Help communities recover today and build resilience for tomorrow. Support our ongoing work here: seedsindia.org #AssamFloods #Assam #FloodResponse #WASH #HumanitarianAction #CommunityResilience #DisasterPreparedness #ClimateResilience #SEEDSIndia #Survival @ndmaindia @NIUA_India @nidmmhaindia @manu_seeds @laggarwal28 @yezdanirahman @Archnahr @adityaverghese @ranita_sarma @SaihejB

Co-founders have visions. Manifesting these are a long journey - most times very lonely. SEEDS Co founder Manu Gupta sums up how those who are now walking into the #humanitarian space can attempt their journeys. #TeachersDay #SEEDS #Mentorship #Leadership #Learning #ClimateResilience #HumanitarianAction #PeopleAndPlanet @Profvinod @rajeshbheda1 @anshu_seeds @laggarwal28 @yezdanirahman @megccomm @Archnahr @adityaverghese @ranita_sarma @SaihejB

The people who know the co founders best tell us… The #guidance from Manu Gupta is always to think long term. Despite the seeming #chaos triggered by #extremeweatherevents how can we constantly deliver quality for affected communities. Challenging conventional thinking. The trust that he puts in teams and the hand offered when we falter - leading to build always #TeachersDay2026 #QuestionsThatShapeUs #SEEDS #Mentorship #ClimateAction #HumanitarianAction #Leadership @Profvinod @rajeshbheda1 @laggarwal28 @yezdanirahman @megccomm @Archnahr @adityaverghese @ranita_sarma @SaihejB

Here's what those who worked with both SEEDS co founders say If you’ve worked with both @manu_seeds and @anshu_seeds, you probably know this already… They do not really 'teach' you in the conventional sense. They make you think. They make you question the obvious, look beyond the immediate, think about the people at the heart of every decision - and, occasionally, wonder why you did not think of that yourself! 😊 For those who have worked alongside both our co-founders, the lessons have gone far beyond proposals, programmes, research or disaster risk reduction. They’ve been about compassion. Patience. Purpose. Curiosity. Trust. The courage to think differently. And the belief that meaningful change begins with people and communities. As one colleague put it, a true mentor teaches you not just how to succeed, but how to become a more meaningful human being. Another reminds us that lasting impact is rooted in community - in choosing harmony over conflict and building the trust we need to protect our shared home. Perhaps that is what makes the SEEDS co founders such enduring #mentors: they leave you with more questions, a bigger vision, and a stronger sense of purpose. This Teacher’s Day, we are letting the people who have worked with them tell the story. First up: voices from those who have had the privilege of learning from both. ❤️ #TeachersDay #SEEDS #Mentorship #Leadership #Learning #ClimateResilience #HumanitarianAction #PeopleAndPlanet @Profvinod @rajeshbheda1 @laggarwal28 @yezdanirahman @megccomm @Archnahr @adityaverghese @ranita_sarma @SaihejB

What would you tell your younger self, if you knew what you know today? This Teacher’s Day, we’re turning the question around. Instead of asking our co-founders what they have taught over the years, we asked them what they would tell their younger selves - about extreme weather events, #humanitarian action, #leadership, and the world they helped build. Trust @anshu_seeds to get us going again by reminding us that some of the most important lessons are not answers. They are the questions that stay with us. Often the questions we ask ourselves shape the people - and the work - we become. Thank you Dr. Anshu Sharma for making us ask important questions. #TeachersDay2026 #QuestionsThatShapeUs #SEEDS #Mentorship #ClimateAction #HumanitarianAction #Leadership @Profvinod @rajeshbheda1 @manu_seeds @laggarwal28 @yezdanirahman @megccomm @Archnahr @adityaverghese @ranita_sarma @SaihejB

Keeping the focus on Assam In Soraideo, Assam - continued rainfall caused the Suffry river to overflow, inundating homes, farmland and rural infrastructure. Drinking water sources were contaminated, connectivity disrupted and vulnerable families displaced. In these moments, safe water, shelter and hygiene are not secondary needs -they are critical to survival. SEEDS is responding in the worst-affected villages of Mohan Gaon and No. 1 Borphater with combined WASH and shelter kits, alongside hygiene promotion and community-level support to reduce the risk of water-borne disease. Assam, however, needs more than a response to a single flood. Its geography, river systems and recurring #monsoon flooding mean that communities can face repeated disruption, repeated #displacement and repeated loss - sometimes within the same season. That is why #humanitarian #response here must be sustained. It means reaching communities when roads are cut off. It means restoring access to safe water when sources are contaminated. It means helping families protect themselves from disease. It means staying engaged as immediate survival gives way to recovery. SEEDS' work in Assam is, therefore, not just about responding to the immediacy of waters that rose. It is about standing with communities through a flood season that is likely to demand resilience, again and again. For families living with the river, the question is never simply “Will the waters come?” It is “Will we be ready when they do?” In Assam, the floodwaters may recede. The need does not. Every monsoon, rivers reshape the lives of communities living along their banks. #AssamFloods #Assam #FloodResponse #WASH #HumanitarianAction #CommunityResilience #DisasterPreparedness #ClimateResilience #SEEDSIndia #Survival @ndmaindia @NIUA_India @nidmmhaindia @manu_seeds @laggarwal28 @yezdanirahman @Archnahr @adityaverghese @ranita_sarma @SaihejB

On the ground when it matters most When a #disaster strikes, being on the ground matters. Staying accountable matters even more. The July cloudbursts, flash floods, and landslides across Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir left families with damaged homes, disrupted water and sanitation systems, and the loss of essential household assets. SEEDS responded where the need was greatest in Jammu and Kashmir. Across 19 villages, seven blocks and seven panchayats, we reached 5,293 vulnerable people with emergency WASH and shelter kits. #HumanitarianAction #DisasterResponse #CommunityResilience #ClimateResilience #JammuKashmir #HimachalPradesh #FloodResponse #WASH #SEEDSIndia @ndmaindia @nidmmhaindia @NIUA_India @manu_seeds @yezdanirahman @Archnahr @adityaverghese @ranita_sarma @SaihejB

In #Odisha our emergency response teams paused to acknowledge those who stepped up in times of urgency. On #WorldHumanitarianDay the sense of the work done to save lives and the road to recovery underscored the importance of #communities coming together to #ActForHumanity. #WHD2026 #LossAndDamage #NonEconomicLosses #ClimateResilience #DisasterResilience #CommunityVoices #CollectiveLearning #HumanitarianAction #PreparedCommunities #SEEDSIndia @NIUA_India @nidmmhaindia @ndmaindia @Profvinod @rajeshbheda1 @manu_seeds @yezdanirahman @Archnahr @adityaverghese @ranita_sarma