Interview with Pankaj Kumar, Associate Professor, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology
Dr. Pankaj Kumar’s personal experience with water scarcity in the Kumaon Himalayas shaped his lifelong commitment to understanding and protecting water resources. This early connection now underpins his work as an Associate Professor at G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, where he teaches and conducts research in hydrological modeling, watershed management, and geoinformatics, while also engaging directly with farming communities through extension activities.
Throughout the interview, he emphasizes how space technologies have transformed watershed science – shifting from labor-intensive surveys to rapid, comprehensive satellite-based observations that reveal land cover, soil moisture, vegetation health, and hydrological processes in near real time. His contribution to the UNEP-TEEB Agri-Food project in Uttarakhand, where he worked on ecosystem services and sustainable agriculture, stands out as a particularly meaningful part of his career.
Dr. Kumar highlights India’s complex water challenges, shaped by monsoon dependency, groundwater decline, and pollution, and explains how Indian satellite missions and geoportals are increasingly supporting integrated water management. He also stresses the urgency of monitoring the Himalayas, where accelerated glacier melt threatens long-term water security for the region.
Integrating machine learning with geospatial data, he works to improve forecasting, assess ecosystem services, and guide more resilient water-planning decisions. He concludes by reflecting on his favourite form of water – snow – which he sees as both a symbol of natural beauty and a reminder of the importance of protecting the glaciers that sustain life in the Himalayas.
