Public Health Engineering

Introduction to Public Health Engineering

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Public Health

The science of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health

through the organized efforts of society, communities and individuals.

Public Health Engineering

The application of technology for the benefit of human health or to minimize
unfavorable impacts of environment on humans health.
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 Public Health Engineering

Why to study Public Health Engineering???

What do Environmental Civil Engineers do???

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 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
(Moin-ja-darro and Harrapa civilizations)

-Roman times, it was well understood that proper diversion of human waste
was a necessary for public health 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.
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Water
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-Clean drinking water is essential to humans and other life forms.

-Water covers 70.9% of the Earth's surface.
-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.
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Scientists have estimated that by 2025 more than half of the world
population will be facing water-based vulnerability.
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WATER CYCLE
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WATER CHEMISTRY
Water appears in nature in all three common states of matter,
-As solid in glaciers and
-As liquid in aquifers in the ground.
-As vapor in clouds;

Water has high specific heat capacity of 4200 J/(kg·K) 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).
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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 water (e.g., fats and oils),
are known as hydrophobic (water-fearing) substances.
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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 water 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 dietary need.
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Pakistan per capita water availability has decreased from 5,000 cubic metres
per annum to 1200 cubic meters per annum.
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Sanitation
Sanitation is the hygienic means of promoting health through prevention of
human contact with the hazards of wastes. Hazards can be either physical,
biological or chemical agents of disease.

These includes human and animal feces, solid wastes, domestic wastewater
(sewage, greywater), industrial wastes and agricultural wastes.
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-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.

The combined effect of poor personal and domestic hygiene, lack of safe water
and good environmental sanitation is considered the most important risk
factor for diseases and deaths.
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What sanitation is all about:

-Personal and household hygiene

-Clean environment including water
-Solid waste management
-Grey-water disposal and treatment
-Safe excreta disposal
-Storm-water handling

Additional Perspective

-Acceptance, affordable, convenience and pride

-Environmentally sustainable arrangements
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Strategies for Sanitation Improvements

• Organic ≠ other solid waste

• Storm-water ≠ sewage
• Industrial ≠ household wastewater
• Black toilet water ≠ grey water
• Faeces ≠ urine
• Grey-water management

Grey-water is wastewater generated from domestic activities such as

laundry, dishwashing, and bathing, which can be recycled.
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Wastewater Reuse
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Recycled Water

Reclaimed water or recycled water, is former wastewater (sewage) that is

treated to remove impurities, and used in sustainable landscaping irrigation
to recharge groundwater aquifers, to meet commercial and industrial water
needs and for drinking.

Types of Water reuse

Indirect Reuse: Reuse of wastewater within the context of natural

water systems such as recharging ground water aquifers and augmenting
surface water reservoirs with recycled water. The ultimate indirect reuse is
through the global hydrologic cycle.

Direct Reuse: The direct beneficial reuse of treated wastewater for

agriculture, industry etc.
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Water Quality Considerations
-Physical water quality
e.g. turbidity, color, etc.

-Chemical water quality

Chemical constituents including solids, metals, nitrogen,
phosphorus, etc.

-Biological water quality

Pathogens including bacteria, helminthes, virus, etc.

-Emerging water quality

Pharmaceuticals, hormonal products, personal care
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Water Reuse Design Criteria

-Water quality

-Monitoring requirements
-Treatment process requirements
-Treatment reliability
-Operational requirements
-Cross-connection control provisions (reverse flow)
-Use area controls
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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
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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 others, e.g. Scavengers collect the solid waste
from streets 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
is normally solid, semi solid or liquid discarded as unwanted material.
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Solid Waste Management

-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

So, to achieve a goal of proper solid waste management in an efficient

and orderly manner, the fundamental aspects and relationships involved
must be identified and understood early.
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Air Pollution

the presence in or introduction into the air of a substance which has

harmful or poisonous effects.

Sources:
-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
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Regional and Global Environmental Problems

Acid rain
Photochemical Smog
Industrial Smog
Greenhouse effect and global warming
Depletion of stratospheric ozone
Eutrophication
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