Environmental Engineering
Environmental Engineering has become one of the most sought after career options, due to the growing concern about unpredictability of the environment. Earlier environmental engineering programs were taught with other fields of engineering (i.e civil and chemical). By the mid-end of the 20th century, this field was recognised as a separate engineering discipline because of the widespread public concern about water and pollution.
Environmental Engineering related to Environmental science, is a broad field that apply the principles of science and engineering to protect and improve environmental conditions. The field focuses on design and technology for improving environmental quality. The main areas of environmental engineering include air pollution control, industrial hygiene, radiation protection, hazardous waste management, toxic materials control, recycling, water supply, wastewater management, storm water management, solid waste disposal, public health and land management. Within each of these major categories, there are many sub categories.
Environmental engineers are technical experts concerned with local and worldwide environmental issues. They combine the principles of biology and chemistry to develop solutions to environmental problems and work in a wide variety of settings with various engineering mechanisms. The major task of environmental engineers is to protect public health by preserving and enhancing the environment. They are engaged in designing various pollution control equipment and devices, construction, installation, implementation and operation of environmentally-related procedures. They are also involved in the protection of wildlife, conduct research on proposed environmental projects, analyze scientific data, perform quality control checks and design municipal water supply and industrial wastewater treatment systems. Environmental engineers also attempt to prevent the production and repercussion of acid rain, global warming, ozone depletion as well as harmful automobile emissions.
Those who have a strong commitment to the environment can make a successful career in this field. Environmental engineers are broadly educated and technically trained in the environmental field to address the spectrum of issues facing the environment. The subjects of study includes not only mathematics, physics, chemistry and engineering design but a range of disciplines like biology, microbiology, ecology, public health, geology, meteorology, economics, political science and computer science.
Eligibility & Course Areas
Students who have a strong foundation in science subjects can find a lucrative career in Environmental Engineering. There are several engineering colleges/ universities in India conducting undergraduate (B.E/ B.Tech), post graduate (M.E/ M.Tech) and doctoral courses in environmental engineering. Bachelors degree is the minimum educational qualification required for working as an environmental engineer.
The basic eligibility criteria for BE / B.Tech in Environmental Engineering is 10+2 or equivalent examination with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. Admission to these 4 year courses is made on the basis of the +2 marks and the merit in the engineering entrance examinations like All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE), IIT Joint Entrance Examinations or Entrance Exams conducted by particular institutes/ universities/ states. Certain universities are offering environmental engineering as an auxiliary program with a bachelors degree in civil, chemical or mechanical engineering. Environmental programs with civil engineering focuses on water resources management, designing of water treatment plant, hydrology etc. while Environmental programs with chemical engineering focuses on environmental chemistry, air and water treatment technologies and separation process.
Bachelor's degree holder in any branch of engineering can go for 2 year post graduate degree course (i.e. M.E/ M.Tech.) in environmental engineering. The admission is through Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE)/ written examination conducted by respective institute and personal interviews. Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi conducts an all-India entrance test (GGSIPU-CET) for admissions to the undergraduate and postgraduate level courses in Environmental Studies. SRM University, one among the top private engineering university in India, admit students on the basis of the marks obtained in SRM Engineering Entrance Exam (EEE).
Research (M.Phil) and Doctoral programmes (Ph.D) can be pursued after post graduate course. The admission will be based on academic record and interview and/or written test .
Course Areas : The course area varies depending on the institution and program. Common core environmental engineering courses include atmospheric chemistry, environmental organic chemistry, hydrology, surface water quality engineering, surface water quality modeling, the quality of the air and the construction environment and boundary layer meteorology. All the environmental engineering programs provide classroom instruction and hands-on laboratory experiences that concentrate on current environmental issues.
Personal Skills :
Besides basic engineering training and education, environmental engineers should possess detail orientation, organization, logical thinking and analytical skills. They must have keen science and mathematics skills and the ability to apply environmental engineering principles to a variety of tasks. As they have to deal with different individuals, they must have good communication skill and a knack for explaining environmental engineering topics. Ability to work as a team, creative and flexible mind, scientific aptitude, decision making and problem solving skill are some other needed attributes.
Job Prospects & Career Options
Environmental engineers are in great demand for solving issues related to water and air pollution and sometimes in areas concerned with hazardous waste cleanup. Management of hazardous waste is the largest area of work for environmental engineers. They would need to keep up-to-date with the new policies and laws in environmental protection. They sketch regulations to prevent the occurrence of mishaps and use their skills to prevent damage to the environment, or to deal with the consequences of such damage. Mainly applications of Environmental engineering include Environmental impact assessment and mitigation for eg: afforestation of a nearby area to mitigate the effects of deforestation in an area, water supply and treatment, wastewater conveyance and treatment and air pollution control or quality management.
Ample job opportunities are available for environmental engineers and their duties vary depending on the project and may include collecting and analyzing data; performing quality control checks; evaluating and devising solutions for environmental hazards etc. These professionals are recruited in central and state pollution control boards and several NGOs in every state who are up in arms against all forms of environmental pollution. They can work with air pollution control, green house gases, ozone depletion, side effects of pollution on human being, animals and plants, water quality management, land conservation, soil conservation and report on environmental impact of proposed construction projects.
They may be employed in :
- Government agencies/ department - as health and safety officer; to monitor and regulate waste discharges
- Laboratories - to develop pollution control systems
- Municipal agencies - to design and take care of the water supply systems
- Various industries/ companies - to plan their air or wastewater treatment systems; to treat and dispose of hazardous chemicals
- Universities/ colleges - to teach and conduct research on environmental control
- Manufacturing and pharmaceutical companies.
- International firms working for environmental related projects
Environmental engineers can work as consultants, helping their clients to comply with regulations and to clean up hazardous sites. Distilleries, fertilizers plants, textile mills, water treatment industries, refineries, mines, food processing industries etc. use the service of environmental engineers. They also work with mining engineers to develop production techniques; assist civil engineers in designing water supply and waste disposal system and toil with chemical and nuclear engineers in waste disposal.
Institutes
List of colleges offering environmental engineering courses can be had from the following link.
Overseas Institutes :
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