Title

The major disaster experiences in Kerala Challenges with warnings, response management and improvements planned The types of Early Warning Systems (MHEWs) for severe weather events in Kerala Community-based disaster management efforts that has been initiated The role of universities and think-tanks in engaging and collaborating with your esteemed organisation in the research and deployment of solutions.

Bio

Dr. Sekhar L. Kuriakose joined the Government of Kerala in 2011 and is serving Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, the State level statutory apex body for disaster management,since then. From an organization with no funds and projects, he has developed KSDMA to be one of countries top 5 disaster management authorities as recognised by Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Under his leadership the KSDMA evolved from a three member institution to an organisation with thirty multi-disciplinary professionals. He started the Kerala State Emergency Operations Centre and is heading it since its beginning in 2011. He was instrumental in creating the District Emergency Operations Centres in all 14 districts. His landmark contribution to Disaster Management in the State includes the construction and commissioning of the 4100 sq. meter disaster resillient building in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram City, housing the state-of-the-art State Emergency Operations Centre, office of SDMA and United Nations Recovery Office. He edited and published the first State Disaster Management Plan and 14 District Disaster Management Plans. He has managed and coordinated the response and relief of two state wide droughts, Cyclone Ockhi, two major floods including the historic Kerala Floods 2018, one major fire cracker explosion accident and numerous petro-chemical accidents.

To his credit includes the implementation of India’s first officially funded disability inclusive disaster risk reduction programme undertaken by any SDMAs which is recognised by the National Disaster Management Authority as the model project in the domain. Under the project, KSDMA has developed braile brochures, sign language video brochures and daisy format audio brochures for spreading disaster risk reduction messages amongst people with various disabilities. The project also offers regular emergency response training to caretakers of, and individuals experiencing 21 types of notified disabilities in the State. The project started in 2015 and is Continuing. He serves in various high-level Government committees, representes the Government of Kerala in the Executive Committee of the Institute for Climate Change Studies and several National committees on disaster management.

He has developed long lasting institutional research collaborations with international centres of excellence such as University of Sussex and Harvard FXB Centre. He is currently leading multiple developmental projects funded by UNDP, UNICEF, UN Habitat and SPHERE India. KSDMA is implementing disaster risk reduction projects worth INR 100 million in the financial year 2019-20. He holds a Doctorate in Landslide Modelling from Utrecht University, The Netherlands, an M.Sc in Geoinformation Science and Earth Observation for Hazard and Risk Analysis from Faculty ITC, University of Twente, The Netherlands and M.Sc in Applied Geography from Unviersity of Madras, India. He has 13 peer reviewed journal articles, 3 book chapters, 1 original book to his credit and 2 administrative handbooks. He co-authored the ‘Status of knowledge report on Forests and Landslides, 2013′ of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and contributed to Encyclopaedia of Agrophysics published by Springer Verlag in 2011.

He has received good service entries from the Government for his contributions to disaster management. Being the youngest to serve as a Member and Member Secretary to any State Disaster Management Authorities in the country, recognizing his contributions, he was selected by the US State Department to the International Visitor Leadership Programme (IVLP) in the year 2018. He has contributed to the Regional Africa-Asia Integrated Strategic Environmental Assessment Forum 2017 in Bangkok on invitation from UNEP. He is a recipiant of the Faculty ITC, University of Twente, The Netherlands Research Fund Scholarship for PhD Research (2006-2010), the IITO Fellowship Award (2005) and the Faculty ITC, University of Twente, The Netherlands and Indian Institute for Remote Sensing, ISRO – Joint education programme merit scholarship for M.Sc studies in The Netherlands (2004).

Prior to his fulltime appointment in the Government, he served as PhD Student, Faculty ITC, University of Twente, The Netherlands (2006-2010), Management Plan and GIS Specialist (UNDP sponsored Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve Project), Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park, Dept. of Forests and Wildlife, Govt. of Tamil Nadu (2004), Consultant GIS, Enter Technologies Pvt. Ltd, Technopark, Trivandrum, India (2002-2004) and Consultant, Management Plan and GIS (World Bank sponsored Kerala Forestry Project), Prambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, Dept. of Forests and Wildlife, Govt. of Kerala (2001-2003).