About Lakshman Srikanth
Lakshman is Advisor in the Safe and Resilient Infrastructure (SRI) Department. He is working at the intersection of science, systems, and society to make disaster and climate resilience more grounded, inclusive, and actionable.
Over the past decade, Lakshman has contributed to projects in India, Nigeria, Oman, and the Netherlands, helping to mainstream disaster and climate risk into planning, governance, and early action. His experience spans mountainous terrains, coastal zones, flood-prone cities, and arid regions — enabling me to adapt and apply resilience strategies in both Global South and Global North contexts.
He worked extensively across efforts to reduce the impacts of key hazards — including floods, landslides, extreme heat and cold, droughts, and industrial hazards — through multi-stakeholder projects that integrate technical, institutional, and community-level perspectives.
Areas of focus include:
- Community-based early warning and communication systems
- Disaster management planning and institutional framework development
- Training and capacity development
- Vulnerability and environmental hazard assessments
- Geo-spatial and data-driven decision support systems
- Climate information services and agrometeorological advisories
Throughout these efforts, he brings:
- Adaptability to complex and shifting environments
- A collaborative spirit in engaging stakeholders and communities
- A problem-solving mindset for operationalizing strategies under uncertainty
- A commitment to developing innovative, locally grounded solutions
Lakshman believes in the power of transdisciplinary approaches to risk reduction — combining engineering, governance, and social insight to address complex, systemic risks. His work is guided by the wisdom of Tamil Sangam poet Avvaiyar: “Known is a drop, unknown the ocean.”
Lakshman Srikanth is always open to collaborations and partnerships — especially on projects that aims to bridge sectors, regions, and disciplines in pursuit of a safer, more resilient world.
Selected contributions
- Implemented community-based early warning systems in high-risk areas, strengthening last-mile communication by integrating formal mechanisms with local knowledge networks.
- Co-developed decision support systems to help policymakers and local actors plan for and respond to disaster risks more effectively.
- Facilitated capacity development programmes that strengthen community agency and institutional preparedness from the bottom up.