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Dr. Sai Hari Chandana Ekkirala

Asisistant Professor, Center for Wireless Networks & Applications, Amritapuri | Asisistant Professor, Amrita School for Sustainable Futures, Amritapuri

Qualification: B. Tech., MSc, Ph.D
haric@am.amrita.edu
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Research Interest: Multi-hazard risk assessment & cascade modeling, Rainfall threshold modeling for rainfall-triggered landslides, Hydrological & dam-breach modeling, Glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) risk,  Geospatial platform development & decision-support dashboards, Community-based disaster risk reduction & risk communication, Climate extremes & spatiotemporal trend analysis

Bio Publications Patents Education Work Experience Key Research Projects Projects Technical Skills Teaching
Bio

Dr. Hari Chandana Ekkirala is an Assistant Professor at the Amrita Center for Wireless Networks and Applications (AmritaWNA)  and the Amrita School for Sustainable Futures (ASF). Her doctoral research, completed at the Amrita School for Sustainable Futures in 2025, focused on Integrated Dynamic Multi-Hazard Risk Management, with an emphasis on analyzing interactions among landslides, floods, and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs).
She heads the technical team for the ‘Amritakripa Dynamic Regional Multi-Hazard Risk Management Platform’ — a Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (MHEWS) currently operational across Idukki (Kerala) and Kodagu (Karnataka). Her work integrates antecedent rainfall accumulation models, hazard risk mapping, hydrological rainfall–runoff modeling, and graph-theory-based cascade analysis into dynamic decision-support dashboards used by district disaster management authorities for operational anticipatory action planning.
Hari Chandana brings together a strong foundation in computer science, geospatial analytics (ArcGIS Enterprise, QGIS, R, Python), and disaster risk science gained at King’s College London. She has contributed to projects funded by DFID and to the consortium-led DARAJA program on urban climate information services in East African informal settlements. Her published research in high impact journals investigates the assessment of initiation, progression, and impact of the 2024 Mundakkai-Chooralmala landslide in Wayanad; spatiotemporal multi-hazard risk assessment using graph-based analysis of cascading interactions among landslides, floods, and infrastructure disruption; the causative factors that transformed the 2018 Kerala floods from a single event into a multi-hazard disaster; quantification of glacier retreat and elevated lake growth in the Western Himalayas for GLOF disaster management; community-scale landslide resilience through citizen-science approaches; rainfall threshold and antecedent rainfall accumulation modelling for rainfall-triggered landslides; and the development of micro-level sustainability and resilience indicators for disaster-prone communities. Her work has resulted in two patent filings for multi-hazard risk and sustainability assessment systems. She also contributes to community engagement, women-led resilience strengthening, and tsunami preparedness initiatives along the Kerala coast.

Publications

Journal Article

Year : 2026

Spatiotemporal assessment of multi hazard risk using graph based analysis for case studies in India

Cite this Research Publication : Hari Chandana Ekkirala, Maneesha Vinodini Ramesh, Spatiotemporal assessment of multi hazard risk using graph based analysis for case studies in India, Scientific Reports, Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2026, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-35925-4

Publisher : Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Year : 2026

Participatory engagement and lived experiences of early warning and preparedness in two rural communities in Kerala, South India

Cite this Research Publication : Samira Pfeiffer, Hari Chandana Ekkirala, Sudha Arlikatti, Souresh Cornet, Saskia Werners, Maneesha Vinodini Ramesh, Participatory engagement and lived experiences of early warning and preparedness in two rural communities in Kerala, South India, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, Elsevier BV, 2026, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2025.105986

Publisher : Elsevier BV

Year : 2026

Unravelling water sustainability: a decentralised, data-driven model for water governance

Cite this Research Publication : A. S. Reshma, Krishna Nandanan, Hari Chandana Ekkirala, Vineeth Ajith, Amritanand Sudheer, Ramesh Guntha, Maneesha Vinodini Ramesh, Unravelling water sustainability: a decentralised, data-driven model for water governance, Scientific Reports, Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2026, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-39927-0

Publisher : Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Year : 2025

Mundakkai-Chooralmala landslide: assessment of initiation, progression, and impact

Cite this Research Publication : Maneesha Vinodini Ramesh, Hari Chandana Ekkirala, Balmukund Singh, Nitin Kumar M, Sabari Ramesh, Aadityan Sridharan, Nirmala Vasudevan, Sudesh Kumar Wadhawan, Mundakkai-Chooralmala landslide: assessment of initiation, progression, and impact, Scientific Reports, Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2025, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-07828-3

Publisher : Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Year : 2025

Multi-stakeholder-centric micro-level sustainability assessments and policy recommendations

Cite this Research Publication : Krishna Nandanan, Hari Chandana Ekkirala, A.S. Reshma, Vineeth Ajith, Ramesh Guntha, Amrita Jayakumar, Maneesha Vinodini Ramesh, Multi-stakeholder-centric micro-level sustainability assessments and policy recommendations, Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, Elsevier BV, 2025, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indic.2025.100710

Publisher : Elsevier BV

Year : 2023

Community Scale Landslide Resilience: A Citizen-Science Approach

Cite this Research Publication : Ramesh, M.V., Thirugnanam, H., Mohanan, N.K., Singh, B., Ekkirala, H.C., Guntha, R. (2023). Community Scale Landslide Resilience: A Citizen-Science Approach. In: Alcántara-Ayala, I., et al. Progress in Landslide Research and Technology, Volume 2 Issue 2, 2023. Progress in Landslide Research and Technology. Springer, Cham.

Publisher : SpringerLink

Book Chapter

Year : 2024

Quantifying Glacier Retreat and Elevated Lake Growth Using Remote Sensing for Disaster Management in the Western Himalayas

Cite this Research Publication : Remya, S. N., Prem, V., Ekkirala, S. H. C., & Arlikatti, S. (2024). "Quantifying Glacier Retreat and Elevated Lake Growth Using Remote Sensing for Disaster Management in the Western Himalayas," In: Singh, N, Babu, S.A. (eds.) Climate Crisis and Sustainable Solutions: Strategies for Adaptation, Mitigation and Sustainable Development (pp. 161-172). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-7110-3_10

Publisher : Springer

Year : 2022

Kerala Floods 2018: Causative Factors that Transformed Single Event to Multi-hazard Disaster

Cite this Research Publication : Ramesh, M.V., Sudarshan, V.C., Harilal, G.T., Singh, B., Sudheer, A., Ekkirala, H.C. (2022). Kerala Floods 2018: Causative Factors that Transformed Single Event to Multi-hazard Disaster. In: Kolathayar, S., Pal, I., Chian, S.C., Mondal, A. (eds) Civil Engineering for Disaster Risk Reduction. Springer Tracts in Civil Engineering. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5312-4_5

Publisher : Civil Engineering for Disaster Risk Reduction. Springer Tracts in Civil Engineering. Springer, Singapore.

Conference Paper

Year : 2023

Spatiotemporal Mapping of Agroforestry Degradation of Five Districts of Uttarakhand, India with Spectral Indices

Cite this Research Publication : Panicker, S.V., Chandana, E.H., Ramesh, M.V. (2023). Spatiotemporal Mapping of Agroforestry Degradation of Five Districts of Uttarakhand, India with Spectral Indices. In: Anderson, J.T. (eds) Advances in Environmental Sustainability. ICOAER 2022. Springer Proceedings in Earth and Environmental Sciences. Springer, Cham.

Publisher : SpringerLink

Year : 2023

Identification of Community-Level Sustainability Indicators: A Climate Change and Risk Management Perspective

Cite this Research Publication : Ekkirala H.C., Brahma D, Amritesh AR, Imada de Lima F, Ramesh M.V., Singh B, Samaila M, and Ugo PD 2022. Identification of Community-Level Sustainability Indicators: A Climate Change and Risk Management Perspective. 2022 8th International Conference on Advances in Environment Research.

Publisher : SpringerLink

Year : 2022

Spatio-Temporal Analysis and Mapping of AgroForestry Degradation Using Spectral Indices

Cite this Research Publication : Panicker V.S., Ekkirala H.C., Ramesh M.V. (2022). Spatio-Temporal Analysis and Mapping of AgroForestry Degradation Using Spectral Indices. 2022 8th International Conference on Advances in Environment Research.

Publisher : 2022 8th International Conference on Advances in Environment Research.

Patents
  • Systems and Methods for Amrita Dynamic Regional Landslide Risk Management Platform.
  • Ramesh, M.V.; Nandanan, K.;Ekkirala, S.H.C.; Reshma, A.S.; Ajith, V.; Guntha, R.; Jayakumar, A. System and Method for Implementing Sustainability Interventions in a Social Ecosystem. Indian Patent 202541040498, filed 26 April 2025 (patent pending).
  • Ramesh, M.V.; Nandanan, K.; Ekkirala, S.H.C.; Reshma, A.S.; Ajith, V.; Guntha, R.; Jayakumar, A. System and Method for Implementing Sustainability Interventions in a Social Ecosystem. US Patent 19/286,043, filed 30 July 2025 (patent pending).
Education
COURSE SPECIALISATION INSTITUTION YEAR
Ph.D. Integrated Dynamic Multi-Hazard Risk Management Amrita School for Sustainable Futures, Amritapuri 2020 – 2025
MSc. Disasters, Adaptation, and Development King’s College London, United Kingdom 2018 – 2019
B.Tech. Computer Science and Engineering Amrita School for Engineering, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham 2013 – 2017
Work Experience

Assistant Professor Level 10

Amrita Center for Wireless Networks and Applications (AmritaWNA) |   Amrita School for Sustainable Futures (ASF), Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham | Amritapuri, Kerala | Feb 2026 – Present

  • Teaching and curriculum delivery in Web-based Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and Disaster Risk Science.
  • Continuing leadership of the technical team, operationalizing the Amritakripa Dynamic Regional Multi-Hazard Risk Management Platform.
  • Supervising postgraduate and research students working on multi-hazard risk modeling, hydrological
  • analysis, and decision-support dashboard development.
  • Anchoring research proposals and patent submissions on multi-hazard risk and community resilience
  • frameworks

Research Assistant V– Multi-Hazard Early Warning System Research (MHEWS)

Amrita Center for Wireless Networks and Applications (AmritaWNA), Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham |   Amritapuri, Kerala   |   Jan 2022 – Present

  • Heading the technical team of four researchers for the ‘Amritakripa Dynamic Regional Multi-Hazard Risk Management Platform’.
  • Implementing antecedent rainfall accumulation models and percentage-deviation thresholds, integrated with hazard susceptibility maps for landslide and flood early warning.
  • Designing and operationalizingGram Panchayat-level dynamic risk dashboards using ArcGIS Enterprise, currently active in Idukki (Kerala) and Kodagu (Karnataka).
  • Hydrological rainfall–runoff and dam-breach modelingfor flood and GLOF risk assessment at sub-basin scales.
  • Graph-theory-based multi-hazard cascade analysis linking landslides, floods, GLOFs, and infrastructure disruption.

Research Assistant

Resurgence Urban Resilience Trust   |   London, United Kingdom   |   Jan 2018 – Dec 2018

  • Contributed to the DFID-funded DARAJA consortium project on improving urban climate information services for informal settlements in East Africa.
  • Conducted market-actor consultations across urban resilience, insuresilience, and climate information services sectors.
  • Concept-note development, multi-source data collection and aggregation, and stakeholder engagement.
Key Research Projects

Amritakripa Dynamic Regional Multi-Hazard Risk Management Platform (2023 – Present)

  • Implementation of antecedent rainfall accumulation models with percentage-deviation thresholds, integrated with hazard susceptibility maps.
  • Gram-Panchayat-level dynamic risk visualizationdashboards on ArcGIS Enterprise supporting district disaster management authorities in operational decision-making.
  • Currently operational in Idukki, Kerala,and Kodagu, Karnataka.

SREE – Sustainability and Resilience Tracker (2021 – 2023)

  • Household-level sustainability and resilience assessment platform for rural and disaster-prone communities.
  • Multi-dimensional indicators covering livelihood stability, access to infrastructure, disaster preparedness, and social resilience.
  • Integration of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) with spatiotemporal analytics to evaluate community-level interventions.
  • Interactive monitoring dashboards for local governments and NGOs.

Multi-Hazard Cascade & Graph-Theory-Based Risk Assessment Model (2024 – Present)

  • Graph-based multi-hazard interaction networks linking landslides, floods, GLOFs, and infrastructure disruption.
  • Computation of node importance, cascade depth, scenario analysis, and identification of hazard hotspots in sub-basins.
  • Integration of outputs into dynamic decision-support dashboards for anticipatory action planning.

Tsunami Preparedness & Community Risk Communication Study (2022 – Present)

  • Field-based participatory assessments of early warning dissemination, evacuation behavior, and risk perception across coastal settlements.
  • Evaluation of UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Ready Indicators on warning reach, evacuation signage, shelter access, and community response training.
  • Community engagement workshops, drills, and strengthening of women-led resilience committees.
  • Policy recommendations informing district coastal risk-communication strategies.

Rainfall Trend Analysis & Climate Extremes for Landslide Hotspot Detection (2023 – Present)

  • Spatiotemporal trend analysis of monsoon rainfall and extreme precipitation indices (PRCPTOT, SDII, Rx1day) using IMD, GPM, and IPED datasets (1998–2024).
  • Basin-level climatic anomaly and trend significance computation for emerging landslide hotspot detection.
  • Linkage of rainfall anomalies to historical landslide inventories to interpret hazard trends.

Hydrological Rainfall–Runoff Models for Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment (2023 – Present)

  • Rainfall, temperature, and evapotranspiration data are used to estimate basin-level discharge, soil moisture dynamics, and effective precipitation for evaluating landslide, flood, and GLOF risks.
  • Runoff response and catchment wetness analysis to identify periods of heightened hydro-meteorological hazard susceptibility.
  • Integration of outputs into sub-basin risk layers and dynamic decision-support dashboards.
Projects
Project Title Project Description Role
Jivamritam: Purified Clean Drinking Water Initiative Empower communities to map & monitor water resources Extensive crowdsourced data to derive the water sustainability challenges in the communities and equip the stakeholders To develop strategies for water conservation, optimise water usage, Develop restoration of water resources, and build awareness of short and long term impacts. To create a dashboard to maintain village water resources and water quality for over 250 villages in India using GIS, Remote Sensing and Insitu measurements.
Examining Lessons Learnt from the Kerala Floods of 2018: A Needs Assessment for Designing Safe and Sensitive Temporary Shelters (Housing) in Villages To understand the hesitancy behind moving to temporary shelters during floods. To identify ideal shelter locations and to optimise shelter conditions to make them more favourable to the flood-affected communities in Kerala. Conduct semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with target communities on understanding the issues they face in shelters. To use GIS to locate existing and optimal locations for future flood shelters in Kerala.
Landslide early warning system deployment Use of wireless network sensors, Remote Sensing, Machine learning and GIS to deploy early warning detection sensors in the mountainous regions of India. To identify landslide suspbtible areas by applying remote sensing and other earth observation techniques. To identify suitable locations for early warning wireless network sensors deployments
Technical Skills
  • Programming & Analytics: R, Python
  • Geospatial Tools: ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Enterprise, ArcGIS Dashboards, QGIS
  • Modeling: Hydrological rainfall–runoff modeling, rainfall threshold models, dam-breach models, multi-hazard cascade analysis
  • Platform Development: Geospatial platform creation; interactive risk-visualizationdashboards
  • Research & Writing: Academic writing, proposal writing, patent drafting
  • Field Methods: Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), community engagement, multi-stakeholder workshops, drills
Teaching
  • Environmental Remote Sensing– Postgraduate, Amrita School for Sustainable Futures.
  • Environmental Geographic Information Systems (GIS)– Postgraduate, Amrita School for Sustainable Futures.
  • Mentoring– Postgraduate dissertation mentoring on hazard mapping, hydrological modeling, and dashboard development.
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