Deepa Pullanikkatil has worked in India, Lesotho, Malawi and Swaziland. She worked at Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD) Southern and Eastern Africa based in Malawi on climate change adaptation projects from 2010 to 2014, before moving to Swaziland where she is currently based. She has a B Tech degree in Civil Engineering (India), Post Graduate Diploma in Management (India), Masters in Environmental Management from University of Free State, South Africa, and a PhD in Environmental Science from North West University, South Africa. She has undertaken consultancy work for UNDP Malawi, UNEP under the Poverty Environment Initiative in Malawi, Governments of Malawi and Swaziland, GIZ and SADC. Deepa was part of team that developed the climate change policy for Malawi and the consultant for Technology Needs Assessment for climate change adaptation in Swaziland. Deepa’s PhD thesis was on “Ecosystem Services Mapping of Likangala River Catchment, Southern Malawi”. She joined Rhodes University as Post-Doctoral Fellow in August 2016.
Deepa strongly believes in interdisciplinary work and using “systems thinking” for achieving better results. She has advocated for integrated development at various avenues including at Woodrow Wilson Center and Capitol Hill, Washington DC. Her interest areas include climate change adaptation and ecosystems services studies. You can find more information at her blog www.deepapullanikkatil.com .
Recent publications
- Pullanikkatil D., Palamuleni P. and Ruhiiga T. (2016). ‘Assessment of Land Use Change in Likangala River Catchment, Malawi: a Remote Sensing and DPSIR approach’. Applied Geography, Vol 71: 9-23.
- Pullanikkatil D., Palamuleni P. and Ruhiiga T. (2016). ‘Land use/land cover change and implications for ecosystems services in the Likangala River Catchment’, Malawi. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, doi:10.1016/j.pce.2016.03.002 .
- Pullanikkatil,D., Mubako, S. and Munthali,M. (2015). ‘Advancing Green Economy through Technology Transfer: Experiences from Malawi’. Southern African Journal of Environmental Education. Vol 30:66-78.
- Pullanikkatil,D., Mubako,S., Phalira,W., Chiotha,S and Luhanga,M. (2013). ‘Schistosomiasis prevalence in Zomba, Malawi’, African Geographical Review. Routledge Vol 33; Issue I.
- Matarira,C., Pullanikkatil,D., Kaseke,T., Manatsa,D., Shava,E. (2013). ‘Socio-economic impacts of climate change on subsistence communities: Some observations from Lesotho’, International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, Vol. 5 Iss: 4, pp.404 – 417.
- Pullanikkatil, D. and Urama, K.C. (2011). ‘The effects of industrialization on water quality and livelihoods in Lesotho’, International Journal of Environmental Engineering, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp.175–191.
- Pullanikkatil D., Palamuleni P. and Ruhiiga T. (2014). ‘An assessment of the impact of land use activities on water quality in the Likangala River Catchment’, Southern Malawi. African Journal of Aquatic Sciences 40:3, 277-286.