Fine-tune for healthy, safe living conditions

Environmental protection is a universal concern, and it is environmental engineers who ensure the urban and industrial worlds we occupy are clean, healthy and safe to live and work in. They are the experts who plan, design, construct and operate projects to promote a better environment.

Environmental engineers are found in a wide spectrum of work areas. These range from construction and engineering projects to industrial water supplies and drainage services. Property developers, construction companies, engineering consultancy firms and utilities companies, as well as the Mass Transit Railway Corporation and the Airport Authority, are also major employers of environmental engineers.

It is common these days for an engineering or science graduate to enrol for a master's degree in environmental engineering while pursuing a professional career in the field. About 2,000 members of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE) are environmental engineers. Professional membership is open to engineers who have completed three years of practical training and followed a continuing professional development programme at a firm recognised by the institution.

Environmental engineers also contribute towards the building of highways, bridges and buildings.

'From planning to completion and maintenance, the engineers have to assess the impact of infrastructure developments in terms of noise, air, solid waste, water and ground contamination in order to minimise or avoid pollution,' says Professor Poon Chi-sun, chairman of the HKIE's environmental division. The engineers are also involved in energy conservation and environmental technology.

An understanding of the basics of design, computing and mathematics are prerequisites for an environmental engineer.