Public health/Sanitation or Environmental engineering – Need for India and the way forward

Context: Expanding the scope of public health/environmental engineering science becomes pivotal in India as we confront the public health challenges emerging out of environmental concerns.

Need for India for a specialized cadre of public health engineers

Helps to confront water-related public health challenges:

• Globally, around 80% of wastewater flows back into the ecosystem without being treated or reused, according to the United Nations. This can pose a significant environmental and health threat.
• In the absence of cost-effective, sustainable, disruptive water management solutions, about 70% of sewage is discharged untreated into India’s water bodies.
• A staggering 21% of diseases are caused by contaminated water in India, according to the World Bank, and one in five children die before their fifth birthday because o