IHRR Director visits India to advance research on cascading disaster impacts

Prof Bruce D. Malamud, Wilson Chair of Hazard and Risk and Director of Durham University’s Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience (IHRR), visited Amritapuri, Kerala, India, for an international workshop on the interconnected impacts of disasters. Hosted by the Amrita School for Sustainable Futures at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, the workshop took place from 12 to 14 October 2026.

The visit formed part of BWEF Learnings, a research project led by Bruce that brings together colleagues from the UK, India and Japan. Supported by £70,000 from the British Council through the International Science Partnerships Fund, the project examines how shocks affect the Biodiversity–Water–Energy–Food (BWEF) nexus.

Biodiversity, water, energy and food systems are closely connected. Disruption in one can spread through others, creating consequences that extend beyond the initial event. Understanding these relationships is central to the project’s approach to resilience, drawing on experiences across the three countries and bringing together different disciplinary perspectives.

The project combines workshops, critical reviews with examples of cascades of shocks from each country, interviews, site visits and online exchange to strengthen research capacity among early- and mid-career researchers. Its wider aims include developing an international research network and generating insights that can inform policy, practice and future collaborative research.

During the workshop, participants compared evidence from India, the UK and Japan, identifying research gaps and discussing priorities and potential funding opportunities.

Community engagement was an important part of the visit. In Alappad, Kollam, local leaders shared experiences of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and discussed rehabilitation, saltwater intrusion, drinking-water shortages, power failures and coastal erosion. Their contributions brought local knowledge of disaster impacts and recovery into the research exchange.

Bruce also delivered a session on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in academic writing, attended by 55 people online and in person. Dr Shivani Singhal contributed a complementary session on research ethics.

The programme included visits to Amrita’s Landslide Lab and Sustainable Ecosystem and Environmental Resilience (SEER) Lab, alongside discussions with faculty and Pro-Vice-Chancellor Dr Maneesha Vinodini Ramesh about future research directions. Bruce and Maneesha have been working together for over ten years on various projects.

The workshop was organised by Dr Raji Pushpalatha and Dr Sruthy S. at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. Other BWEF participants at this workshop included Dr Jorge Enrique Ascencio Damián from Shinshu University, Japan; Dr Shivani Singhal from the University of Leeds, UK; and Dr Vinaya Kumar H. M. from Keladi Shivappa Nayaka University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shivamogga, Karnataka, India.

The workshop brought together international research collaboration, community experience and researcher development into a shared programme of work on cascading impacts and resilience.

Links

Read Amrita’s workshop report and view event photographs

BWEF Learnings

Photo Caption

(Left) BWEF Team members and Amrita ECRs at a capacity building session. (Middle) Community leaders in small group sessions with BWEF members sketching BWEF scenarios that have occurred previously. (Right) Bruce Malamud with Maneesha Ramesh, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham