Public Health Engineering

CE-355
3(2+1)

Instructor : Engr Muhammad Anwar

E-mail: anwar_daniyal@yahoo.com

Institute of Environmental Sciences and Engineering (IESE)

School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (SCEE)
National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST)
Islamabad, Pakistan
 Course Introduction

Water demand, sources, quality, sampling,

analysis, treatment, distribution network design.
Wastewater generation, quality, effects on
environment, treatment.
Solid waste management.
Air and noise pollution control.
Environmental impact assessment &
Environmental legislations.
 Course Objectives

To give students basic concepts about public

health engineering.
Idea about mitigation of environmental issues that
affect the public health.
To make them aware of environmental issues
related to civil engineering.
To make them aware of present environmental
status of the country and the work going on.
To make them aware of environmental legislations.
 Recommended Books and Materials

Text Book: Water Supply and Sewerage. By E.W.

Steel, 6th Edition.
Reference Book: Environmental Engineering by Ruth
Weiner and Robin Matthews, 4th Edition
All lecture handouts will cover all the topics.
Introduction to Public Health
Engineering
 The Concept

Many diseases are preventable through simple,

non-medical methods
 Environmental Engineering

Application of technology to minimize

unfavorable impacts of
human on environment
environment on humans
Technology controlled many problems BUT
Increased the pollution of various domains
These includes Air, Water, soil
 Public Health?

The science of preventing disease, prolonging

life and promoting health through the organized
efforts of society, communities and individuals.
 History of Public Health

From the beginnings of human civilization, it was

recognized that polluted water and lack of proper waste
disposal spread communicable diseases (Mohin-jo-darr
o and Harrapa civilizations)

Roman times, it was well understood that proper

diversion of human waste was necessary for public heal
th in urban areas.

During the 14th century Black Death in Europe, it was

believed that removing bodies of the dead would further
prevent the spread of the bacterial infection.
 The Water

Water covers 70.9% of the Earth's surface, and is vital for all known
forms of life.
Oceans hold 97% of surface water, glaciers and polar ice caps
2.4%, and other land surface water such as rivers, lakes and ponds
0.6%
Approximately 70% of the fresh water which is actively handled by
humans, is consumed by agriculture.
 The Water

Clean drinking water is essential to humans and other

life forms.
Scientists have estimated that by 2025 more than half
of the world population will be facing water-based vuln
erability
Water Cycle
 Water Chemistry

Water appears in nature in all three common states of

matter,
As vapor in clouds;
As solid in glaciers and
As liquid in aquifers in the ground.
Water has high specific heat capacity of 4200 J/(kgK)
due to hydrogen bonding between its molecules.
This property allows water to moderate Earth's climate
by buffering large fluctuations in temperature.
The maximum density of water occurs at 3.98 C (39.16 F).
 Water Chemistry

Water is a universal solvent. Substances that dissolve in water,

e.g., salts, sugars, acids, alkalis, gases are known as hydrophilic (
water-loving) substances, while those that do not mix well with wa
ter (e.g., fats and oils), are known as hydrophobic (water-fearing) s
ubstances.
 Potable Water

Water fit for human consumption is called drinking water or

potable water.
Some five million deaths a year are caused by polluted drinking
water. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that safe wa
ter could prevent 1.4 million child deaths from diarrhea each year
It takes around 3,000 liters of water, converted from liquid to
vapour, to produce enough food to satisfy one person's daily dietar
y need.
 Water Scarcity

Pakistan available water = 1200 m3/c/year

 SANITATION

Sanitation is the hygienic means of promoting health through

prevention of human contact with the hazards of wastes. Hazards can
be either physical, microbiological, biological or chemical agents of d
isease.
These includes human and animal feces, solid wastes, domestic
wastewater (sewage, sullage, greywater), industrial wastes and agric
ultural wastes
Sanitation - the silent crises
2.4
billion people (40% of the world's population) lack
adequate sanitation

18% of the world's population lack safe water supply

10% of all wastewater in developing countries is treated
Malnutrition is a major factor making us more vulnerable
to disease and death, thus food security is important

The combined effects of poor personal and domestic

hygiene and lack of safe water and good environmental
sanitation is considered the most important risk factor
for disease and death
 What sanitation is about
Traditional interpretation
Personal and household hygiene
Clean environment incl. water
Solid waste management
Greywater disposal and treatment
Safe excreta disposal
Stormwater handling
Additional perspectives
Acceptance, affordable, convenience and
pride
Environmentally sustainable arrangements
 STRATEGIES FOR SANITATION
IMPROVEMENTS
Principle:
mixes as few, flows as possible
Organic other solid waste
Stormwater sewage
Industrial household wastewater
Black toilet water grey water
Faeces urine
Greywater is wastewater generated from
domestic activities such as laundry, dishwashing,
and bathing, which can be recycled on-site
 What is Wastewater Reuse?

Terminologies
Water recycling
Recycling generally means reuse of wastewater
back in the same cycle where it is generated.
Water reclamation
Reclamation involves all processes used to treat
wastewater so that it can be beneficially reused
Water reuse
The beneficial use of treated wastewater for
agriculture, industry, etc.
 What is Wastewater Reuse?

Categories of Water Reuse

Indirect Reuse
Reuse of wastewater within the context of natural
water systems (rivers, aquifers, etc.). The ultimate ind
irect reuse is through the global hydrologic cycle
Other terms: Indirect potable reuse
Direct Reuse
The direct beneficial reuse of treated wastewater for
agriculture, industry, etc.
Direct potable reuse: the reuse of reclaimed water for
potable uses
Driving Factors for Water Reuse

Water Availability
Water Consumption
Water Quality
Benefits of Water Reuse
Public Health and Water Quality
Considerations
Physical water quality considerations
Turbidity, color, etc.
Chemical water quality considerations
Chemical constituents including solids,
metals, nitrogen, phosphorus, etc.
Biological water quality considerations
Pathogens including bacteria, helminthes,
virus, etc.
Emerging water quality considerations
Pharmaceuticals, hormonal products,
personal care
Water Reuse Design Criteria

Water quality requirements

Monitoring requirements
Treatment process requirements
Treatment reliability requirements
Operational requirements
Cross-connection control provisions
Use area controls
Treatment Reliability

Standby power supply

Multiple or standby unit processes
Emergency storage/disposal provisions
Provisions for continuous disinfection
Non-design features
Qualified personnel
Monitoring
O & M program
 Solid Waste

Waste: Anything which is not useful for a person is

called as waste.
However waste is a relative terminology and a
useless thing for a person could be useful for oth
ers, e.g. Scavengers collect the solid waste from s
treets and sell it to waste buyers and earn money.

Solid Waste (SW): Solid waste is the waste

arising from all human and animal activities and i
s normally solid, semi solid or liquid discarded as
unwanted material.
 Problems in SWM

The problems associated with the management of

solid waste in Pakistan are due to the quantity and
diverse nature of waste.
The development of extensive urban areas
The engineering limitations of the impacts of
technology, energy and raw materials
So, to achieve a goal of proper solid waste
management in an efficient and orderly manner, the fu
ndamental aspects and relationships involved must be
identified and understood early.
AIR POLLUTION
 Natural sources of air pollution
Ash and smoke from lightning-triggered forest fires
Ash and dust from volcanic eruptions
Salt spray from sea waves
Methane from decaying organic matter
Pollen from plants
Dust from windstorms
 AIR POLLUTION: REGIONAL AND
GLOBAL PROBLEMS
Acid rain
Photochemical Smog
Industrial Smog
Greenhouse effect and global warming
Depletion of stratospheric ozone
Thank You!