ECE 2305 PUBLIC HEALTH ENGINEERING I

Introduction to Public Health Engineering, scope, relationship to various basic and engineering science.
Water supply: sources of water and sanitary, chemistry, conveyance, pollutants treatment, storage,
distribution. Design of water treatment units.
Jar test, acidity test, alkalinity test, hardness test, colour, turbidity, pH and chlorine test.

Reference Books
1. Water Supply Engineering - Santosh Kumar Garg, Khana Publishers
2. Principles of Water Quality control-T.H.Y.Tebbutt, Pergamon Press.
3. Water and Wastewater Engineering Systems- D. Barnes, P.J. Bliss, B.W. Gould & H.R.Vallentine,
Pitman Press.
4. Water Supply and Sanitary Engineering-G.S. Birdie, Dhanpat Rai & Sons
5. Water and Waste Water technology- Mark J. Hammer, John Wiley & Sons
Note: There are many books in the library which cover PHE topics. In addition one can also refer to
the internet.

1.1 Introduction to Public Health Engineering, scope, relationship to various basic and engineering
science.
Civil engineers have traditionally been concerned with water supply and wastewater disposal and indeed
public heath engineering probably forms the largest single activity of the Civil engineering profession.
Water science and technology is, however, an interdisciplinary topic involving the application of
biological, chemical and physical principles in association with engineering techniques such as
hydrology, hydraulics among others. The public heath Engineer in co-operation with scientific colleagues
plays a major role in the incidence of many water-related diseases.
Application of engineering principles to protect public health cover areas such as water supply, waste
treatment, air pollution, radiological health, occupational health, food, vector control and solid wastes.
Definitions:
a. Engineering Principles means the professional application of the principles of mathematics,
chemistry, physics or any related applied subject.
b. Public Health refers to "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and
promoting health through organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public
and private, communities and individuals.
Public health incorporates the interdisciplinary approaches of epidemiology, biostatistics and
services. Environmental, community health, behavioral health, health economics, public
policy, insurance medicine and occupational safety and health are other important subfields.(from
WIKIPEDIA)
Public health may also be defined as the science and art of preventing diseases, prolonging life,
promoting health and efficiencies through organized community effort. It is concerned with the
health of the whole population and the prevention of disease from which it suffers. It is also one of
the efforts organized by society to protect, promote, and restore the peoples‘ health. It is the
combination of sciences, skills and beliefs that is directed to the maintenance and improvement of
the health of all the people through collective social actions. Public health involves both direct and
indirect approaches. Direct measures in public health include immunization of children, modern
birth control, hypertension, and diabetes case findings. Indirect methods used in public health
protect the individual by community-wide means, such as raising standards of environmental
safety, assurance of a safe water supply, sewage disposal and improved nutrition. In public health
practice, both direct and indirect approaches are relevant.
c. Public Health Engineer means a person who applies engineering principles for the detection,
evaluation, control and management of those factors in the environment which influence the
public's health.
d. Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering- A program that prepares individuals to
apply mathematical and scientific principles to the design, development and operational evaluation
of systems for controlling contained living environments and for monitoring and controlling
factors in the external natural environment, including pollution control, waste and hazardous
material disposal, health and safety protection, conservation, life support, and requirements for
protection of special materials and related work environments.
● Environmental Health: The basic approach to environmental control is first to identify specific
biologic, chemical, social and physical factors that represent hazards to health or well-being and to
modify the environment in a manner that protects people from harmful exposures. The principal
components of environmental health are water sanitation, waste disposal, etc

Question:
Discuss the realtionship of Public Health Engineering to various basic and engineering sciences.