National Centre for Earth Science Studies

Projects:

• Palaeo fluids in the petroliferous basins of western offshore, India” - on going.
• Watershed Project Evaluation Fund [WPEF]
• Applied Technology and Training Centre (AT&TC), Government of Kerala
• Deep Crustal processes during the evolution of Archean Nilgiri Block, Southern India -On-going
• Primary and secondary rutile: a case study from Kerala [DST – 25].
• Analysis of land, soil and water in the Neyyar catchment: A case study. sponsored by the Department of Forests and Wildlife
• Terrain characteristics and soil nutrient status of the Rattendon valley annexe reserved forests of Periyar Tiger Reserve, sponsored by the Department of Forests and Wildlife, Government of Kerala
• Characterisation of soil within the closed evergreen forests of Kerala, sponsored by the Department of Forests and Wildlife, Government of Kerala.
• Terrain characteristics and soil degradation studies in the forest eco-systems in areas adjoining Idukki reservoir, sponsored by the Department of Forests and Wildlife, Government of Kerala.
• Watershed studies in selected districts of Kerala with special emphasis on tribal settlements, sponsored by the Department of Forests and Wildlife, Government of Kerala.
• Tectonothermal History of Kerala Khondalite Belt, Sponsored by the Institute

Education:

Professional career:

Honours & Awards:

• Certificate of Merit for outstanding contributions in Geosciences -2015 by Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt. of India.
• Indian National Science Academy (INSA) –Royal Society (UK) award for research visit in the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom in 1998 and 2010.
• CSIR - JRF in Geology in 1988.

Patent Granted:

“Method of detecting API gravity of oil present in hydrocarbon bearing fluid inclusions”, Patent No. 315456 dated 03/07/2019

Membership in Professional Bodies:

1. Geological society of India -Life Member (LM-750)-since 1989
2. Indian Society of Remote Sensing - Life Member (L – 1443)-since 1996
3. International Association for Gondwana Research- Member-since 1996
4. Soil Conservation Society of India- Life Member (LM-204)-since 1999
5. Indian Society of Soil Survey and Land-Use Planning- Member- since 2005
6. Mineralogical Society of America-Member-since 2011

Selected Publications:

1. Duggal a J Gupta RP Sankar G and Singhal BBS 1982 Snow cover and snow melt runoff relation in Beas catchment India using – Landsat images In “Applied Modeling in Catchment hydrology” Water Resources Publications, USA
2. Rupta R P, Duggal A J, Rao S N,  Sankar G and Singhal BBS 1982 Snow cover area Vs Snow melt rumoff relation and its dependence on geomorphology- A Study from the Beas catchment (Himalayas, India) Journal of Hydrology, Elsevier pub 58 325-329
3. Srikumar Chattopadhyay M B Salim and Sankar G 1986 Integerated environmental assessment for Ecodevelopment a case study of Bavalipuzha –Aralampuzha Drainage basin in Kerala. Proc. Seminar on Eco-development of Western Ghats pp 266 – 275
4. Sekhar Lukose Kuriakose,Cees van Westen, Ramesh c lakhera, LP H van Beek, Sankar G, Dinand Alkema, TW Vvan Asch and Jayadev S K (2006) Effect of vegetation on debris flow initiation Conceptualization and parameterization of adynamic model for debris flow initiation in Tikovil river basin, Kerala, India using PC RASTER Proc. ISPRS Goa
5. Sankar G 2005  Landslides of Kerala and their Management. In G.V Rajamanickom ( editor) “landslides” Proc of the national seminar on landlsides , SASTRA Deemed University, Thanjavur pp 97-106
6. Sekhar L Kuriakose, V G Jetten, C J van Westen, G Sankar, L P H van Beek 2008 Pore pressure as a trigger of shallow landslides in the Western Ghats of Kerala, India: Some preliminary observations from an experimental catchment, Physical Geography, 29(4):374 -385
7. Sekhar L Kuriakose, G Sankar, C.Muraleedharan 2009 History of landslide suceptibility and chronology of landslide prone areas in the western Ghats of Kerala, Environmental Geology, 57 (7),1153-568
8. Nair ASK, Sankar G and Nalinakumar S 1993 Remotesensing applications in the study of coastal inlets Photonirvachak vol 21, No3

Reports:

1. Sankar G 1991 Investigation of landslides at Kudanji and Kurachundu Calicut district. Report submitted to Government, CESS Trivandrum
2. Sankar G 1994 Causes of landslides. In Proc. of Training course of landslide hazard mitigation and management, Calicut organized by BIP and CWRDM
3. Sankar G and Thampi P K 1997 Land disturbances near Niramkaitakotta Temple, vallikunnu Panchayat Malappuram district. Report submitted to the Govt. CESS
4. Sankar G 2001 A Preliminary report on the November 9th Landslide at Amboori panchayat, Thiruvananthapuram district. Report submitted to the Govt. CESS
5. Sankar G and John Mathai  2002 Report on land disturbances around Mount carmel Convent, Perumala, Kanadalur Panchayat Idukki District report CESS PR- 23-2002
6. Sekhar L Kuriakose, C J van Westen, R C Lakhera, L.P.Hvan Beek, G .Sankar, D.Alkema,T.W.J.van Asch,Jayadev S K., 2006 Effect of vegetation on debris flow initiation- Conceptulisation and parameterisation of a Dynamic Model for debris flow initiation in Tikovil River Basin, Kerala ,India using PC Raster. 2nd International symposium on Geoinformation for Disasters, September 25-26 GOA ISPRS Commission IV, Ahmedabad,India
7. Thampi P K John Mathai, Sankar G and Sidharthan S 1988 Evaluation Study  in terms of landslide mitigation in parts of Western ghats , Kerala. Report submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture, Govt of India
8. Thampi P K John Mathai, and Sankar G 1993 Terrain Evaluation in terms of hazard mitigation at LPSC Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu CESS report
9. Sankar G, John Mathai, and Sidharthan S 1999 “landslide mitigation study in landslideprone areas of Pathanapuram taluk, Kollam district” Report No CESS-PR- 36-2004 submitted to the Government
10. Sachith Mohan, R.L Anuroop,G, Sankar G and John Mathai 2006 Human Interaction and its Effects on the Stability of slopes. A case study pf the recent debris flows in the Pashukkadavu area in the Maruthonkara Panchayat, Kozhikode Proc XVIII Kerala Science Congress, Trivandrum pp261-263
11. Thampi P K John Mathai, Sankar G and Sidharthan S 2001 Terrain data management system for Natural calamity mitigation. Final Technical report No CESS-PR-28-2001

Ongoing projects:

• Landslide hazard zonation and mitigation of Kozhikode district, Kerala
• Investigation of land disturbances in the form of debris flow, debris slides and piping occurring in the Kerala state (work undertaken for the Revenue department, Govt  of Kerala)
• Disaster management Plan preparation for the State of Kerala – Phase 1 (Revenue Department)
• Hazard Vulnerability and Risk Assessment for 5 Corporations and  One district of Kerala ( Revenue Department)
• “Man-induced Land Modifications and its Impact on Fragile Environments: A Study in Thodupuzha taluk – Idukki district, Kerala”
• Studies of the vulnerable railways cuttings between Kayamkulam and Ernakulam (Trivandrum Division, S.Railway)

Projects Completed:

• Preparation of landslide hazard zonation map of Western Ghats, Kerala
• Investigation of landslide/slope stability in the Western Ghats.
• Environmental impact of multipurpose river valley projects on drainage systems.  A case study on the Periyar-Thodupuzha drainage systems
• Mapping of coastal wetlands of Kerala using satellite images
• Mapping of shoreline changes of Kerala using satellite images
• Preparation of inland wetland maps of Kerala using satellite images
• Preparation of micro level resource maps.
• Preparation of Ground water prospects maps (Rajiv Gandhi Drinking Water Mission)
• Ground water recharge plans for selected Panchayats
• Geo-environmental inputs for the preparation of Forest management Plans for 14 forest Divisions

Education:

Training:

• Recent Advances in Differential SAR Interferometry and Applications 1999, CSRE, IIT, Mumbai sponsored by NRDMS, DST.
• Advanced course on SAR Interferometry and Applications, 1999 at CSRE, IIT, Mumbai sponsored by NRDMS, DST.
• Neo-tectonics Morphotectonic analysis for the assessment of earthquake hazards 1997 at Dehradun,  conducted by IIRS and ITC Netherlands
• Geo-information for Natural Disaster management in India. 2009,  IIRS and ITC Netherlands
• Innovative Approaches to Multiscale Landslide Hazard and Risk Managemenet organised by International Institute for Geo information science and Earth Observation (ITC) and PGIS, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.

Professional career:

Memberships:

Expert committee member in:

• Stability of Mullaperiyar dam constituted by the Government of Kerala
• Study the causes of the failure occurred on 17 October,2007 of the water conducting systems of the Panniyar Hydro electric Project, Government of Kerala.
• Environmental impact assessment of the Athani quarry and rock crushing unit at Wayanad constituted by CESS
• Chairman of the Expert Committee constituted by the Government to study the natural Calamities occurred during Monsoon 2009
• Member, Chaliar River basin management Committee.(Inters state water-Irrigation department)