Amrita landslide research · since 2005

From one tragedy
to two decades of warnings

In 2005, landslides in Munnar took 13 lives. Amrita answered with science, and with a resolve that the science would reach the people on the slopes.

Amrita team examining a large landslide scar — Landslide site investigation · Amrita research team

2006–2026

Two decades of landslide research

300+

Sensors in the Western Ghats & Himalayas

5,000+

Lives impacted in Western Ghats & Himalayan deployments

Up to 24 h

AI/ML forecast ahead of an event

Firsts

Where landslide
early warning began

What started as a European research prototype became a public safety system that runs around the clock.

World’s first AI & IoT landslide early warning system

Operational since 2018

Researchers at the landslide laboratory control desk

India’s first landslide laboratory

Large and small multi-trigger test beds

Researchers installing equipment in the rain

India’s pioneer in landslide early warning

Two decades of 24/7 monitoring

“If we could transform compassion from a mere word into a path of action, we would be able to solve 90 percent of the world’s humanitarian problems.”

Mata Amritanandamayi DeviChancellor, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham

Amma’s vision

The project began as a European research prototype. Amma redefined its trajectory, ensuring deployment beyond the lab to actively protect vulnerable communities.

“We should take into consideration how much we have been able to use research to serve the lowest and most vulnerable strata of society. In our approach to sustainable development, we should not forget that it is by strengthening the people at the base of the pyramid that the entire edifice of society becomes healthy and strong.”

Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, Chancellor

Women working together on a community activity

Pillar 01

Education for Life

Compassion-driven education that builds enduring values and inner strength of character.

Amrita researchers surveying a landslide site with a drone

Pillar 02

Compassion-Driven Research

Scientific excellence directed toward serving the most vulnerable strata of society.

Forested hill slope with landslide scars

Pillar 03

Global Impact

Bridging East and West through meaningful collaborations with world-class institutions.

Our story · 2006 to 2026

Two decades of
landslide research

From the 2005 Munnar tragedy to early warnings across the Western Ghats and the Himalayas.

2005
Triggering event: landslides in Munnar
- 13 lives were lost
- Recurring evacuation during every monsoon
- Persistent fear and vulnerability
- An urgent need for scientific intervention
2006
Institutional project begins
- Formally launched through EU funding
- First Indian institution to receive EU support under the WINSOC project
- Funded under FP6 as the world’s first wireless sensor network for landslide detection
2007
India’s first landslide simulation lab
- Large test bed: 8-ton capacity, multi-trigger controlled
- Smaller test bed: 2-ton capacity, multi-trigger controlled
- Controlled simulation of landslide dynamics
2008
India’s first IoT-based field laboratory
- 150+ sensors installed
- Real-time data transmission established
- Field monitoring integrated with simulation insights
2009
First early warning issued
- Early warning system operational in Munnar, Idukki, where 14% of the territory is landslide-prone
- Second major project granted by the Department of Information Technology, Government of India
- Research turned into a life-saving public safety mechanism
2012
National recognition and policy impact
- Parliamentary appreciation for landslide research
- NABARD Award for Rural Innovations
- A nationally acknowledged model for landslide risk reduction
2018
Into the Himalayas
- Second deployment in the Sikkim-Darjeeling Himalayas, co-funded by the Ministry of Earth Sciences and Sikkim SDMA
- World’s first AI & IoT based landslide early warning system operational
2023
Karnataka
- MoU with the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre for Kodagu
2024
Odisha
- MoU for Gajapati, studying cyclone-induced landslides