Career as Environmental Engineer

With a high level of environmental pollution engulfing the world at a rapid pace, there is a shortage of environmental engineers at present. As there is a growing demand for such engineers, the job prospects in this field are bright in the coming days. Various governmental and non-governmental bodies require Environmental Engineers for designing and implementing an appropriate environmental policy that will focus on climate change. The current demands include engineers with specialisations in process engineering, environmental chemistry, water and sewage treatment, waste reduction management and pollution prevention. The students with M.Tech in Environmental Engineering can also join Government Committees to study and analyse the various environmental risks. There are also international job opportunities that offer lucrative salaries along with various other facilities.

Some common designations offered to Environmental Engineers are Environmental Health and Safety Officer, Project Environmental Engineer, Green Building Engineer and Environmental Compliance Engineer. The job profile of an Environmental Engineer involves designing technology for environmental protection projects and supervising the implementation of the same. It also requires preparing, reviewing and analysing reports based on data and providing necessary technical support as needed. A typical day in the life of an Environmental Engineer can be full of activity involving lots of field work. There can be frequent visits to project sites in order to gather data for estimating the environmental impact of a project or commercial operation. The data will then have to be interpreted and the necessary write-up and presentations to represent findings and costings will have to be prepared.

The job will also involve liaising with clients and local authorities to plan and design the necessary control measures and formulate regulations to prevent any sort of mishaps. The project execution phase will also involve coordinating with other engineers, environmental scientists, planners, construction workers and lawyers as needed. Since environmental analysis is a vital aspect of various critical projects, the work pressure levels will be high. The work hours will have to be stretched to meet project deadlines as required. Travelling and staying away from home for days can be expected to be a part of the job.

In India, engineers in the State Pollution Control Board can earn starting salaries ranging from Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000. Candidates with M. Tech degrees receive higher salaries ranging from Rs 35,000 to Rs 50,000. In private organisations, the starting salaries can be around Rs 500000 per annum and that can rise to Rs 1500000 per annum as a senior engineer at the mid-level. Those who are engaged in professional research in Environmental Engineering can earn a salary between Rs 50,000 and Rs 75,000. In the USA, the present average salary for Environmental Engineers is around 80,000$. In India, some of the top private companies that recruit Environmental Engineers are AECOM Technology Corporation, Jacobs Engineering Group, HDR Inc. and Bechtel.