United Nations Secretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction Margareta Wahlstrom, who was in the city on Friday to deliberate on issues related to disaster risks, said cities would continue to be more vulnerable for the disasters originating from climate change, and therefore, educating the young minds through primary education was a necessity.

She was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an interactive meeting organised by the Centre for Development Studies and Activities (CDSA) and Association for Learning, Education, Research and Training (ALERT).

"In order to make cities resilient to climate change, two things are critical. First, there is a need to raise proper infrastructure and secondly, judicious use of land is also necessary. Since cities will remain vulnerable for many years to come, organizing people, more preparedness, and protection of ecosystem and proper use of land are the factors that should be focused," Wahlstrom said.

She added, "Despite the cities being vulnerable to natural disasters, there is a lack of awareness amongst people. Therefore, all this should become a part of the primary education and educate the younger generation in order to motivate long-term actions." Executive Director of CDSA, Anita Gokhale-Benninger and former mayor Vandana Chavan and Head of the Regional Coordination Unit of International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) Praveensinh Pardeshi were present on the occasion.