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Who is a Water engineer?
When engineers and quantity surveyors discuss aesthetics and architects study what cranes do we are on the right road ~ Ove Arup
What are the factors you consider when you think about moving to a new city? Living in a happy, comfortable, and healthy social community is the primary focus of people these days. Having a clean, safe, and constant water supply is a crucial factor that leads to a happy and comfortable lifestyle.
A water engineer works to build tools and techniques that can increase water efficiency and provide us with a sustainable environment to live in. He or she designs various solutions that protect a town from the devastating effects of flooding. The water engineer is also responsible for overseeing every day’s water supply to make sure it is safe for the people to drink.
If you are interested in helping the world and contributing your scientific knowledge to a noble cause, then water engineering is what you are looking for. In this section, we will discuss how to become a water engineer in India, skills, roles and responsibilities and Water engineer eligibility.
Water engineer in a Nutshell
A water engineer is a professional who is involved in the provision of clean water, disposal of bilge and sewage, and the prevention of flood damage. A career as a water engineer requires dealing with repairing, maintaining, and building structures that control water resources (for example, sea defence walls, pumping stations, and reservoirs).
Water engineers have various responsibilities that include both technical and non-technical aspects of water resource management.
Quick Facts for Water engineer
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Industry
Technology
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Suitable for
Male, Female
Water engineering jobs are gender-neutral. Anyone with appropriate skills and educational qualifications can choose water engineering as a career. However, the gender gap exists in the field of engineering which requires more physical effort, unlike computer science.
Slow yet effective changes are being made regarding women's employment in the section of water engineering jobs. Various counsels working for the cause are coming forward with initiatives to recruit more females in the sector.
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Any special needs
Yes
A career as a Water engineer is a physically challenging career and requires its employees to be physically fit. But, there are various desk jobs available in several sections of water engineering.
Candidates can surely pursue water engineering courses provided they meet the educational requirements and the appropriate skills required to become a water engineer.
Table of Contents for Water engineer
What is the role of Water engineer?
A water engineer is responsible for performing various duties such as developing new equipment and systems for water resource management facilities across the town. He or she ensures that citizens are provided with a continuous supply of clean, safe water for drinking, living, and recreational purposes.
A water engineer is required to design pumping systems, pumping stations, pipelines, force mains, or sewers for the collection of wastewater. He or she also analyses and recommends chemical, biological, or other wastewater treatment methods to prepare water for industrial or domestic use.
A career as a water engineer is also responsible for gathering and analysing water-use data to forecast water demand. A water engineer is also required to perform mathematical modelling of underground or surface water resources.
Examining
The Water engineer roles and responsibilities include examining accidents to obtain data that can be used to design preventive measures and improve water bridges and pipes engineering design.
The role of the water engineer is to monitor surface facility operations to identify any design, construction, or operation practices that violate safety regulations or jeopardise the safety of construction and hydroelectric engineering design.
Water engineering jobs also involve keeping a check record of developments and changes in the constructional aspects of the ground engineering design by reading technical journals and by independent studies and research.
Types of a Water engineer
In this section, we have provided some of the types of water engineer and water engineer career options.
Hydrogeological Engineer: A hydrogeological engineer is a professional who provides design and analysis of ponds involving discarded oil sands materials, water extraction from soil and sand, and steam injection into wells. A hydrogeological engineer also evaluates underground water layers trapped in rocks (aquifers) along with providing advice on environmental restoration.
Reservoir Engineer (oil and gas operations): A reservoir engineer is a professional who works for oil and gas operations while analysing the strength of soils, drill hole stability, stress constraint, permeability of rock formations, and the degree of trapped hydrocarbons in underground reservoirs.
Geomechanics Engineer (marine operations): A geomechanics engineer is a professional who works for marine operations and analyses the relationship between physical structures and marine geology, anchoring systems, sediment erosion, slope stability, and foundations for offshore and coastal structures.
Civil Engineer: The career of a civil engineer, requires the individual to conceive, design, build, supervise, operate, construct, and maintain infrastructure projects and systems in the public and private sectors, including roads, buildings, airports, tunnels, dams, bridges, and systems for water supply and sewage treatment.
Urban Planner: An urban planning career revolves around the idea to develop a plan to use the land optimally, without affecting the environment. Urban planning jobs are offered to those candidates who are skilled in making the right use of land to distribute the growing population, to create various communities.
A career as an urban planner comes with the opportunity to make changes to the existing city and towns. They identify various community needs and make short and long-term plans accordingly.
What is the workplace/work environment of Water engineer like?
A career as a water engineer is a diverse and exciting career along with being in high demand. Water engineering is a field that keeps constantly changing, employees are required to deal with new equipment and remain up to date with the safety regulations and other factors which are above and beyond their duties to a client’s construction project. This section discusses the in-depth details of the work environment of a water engineer.
Does Water engineer require travelling?
Likely
A career as a water engineer involves lots of travel and plenty of strict deadlines along with working in every weather condition. A water engineer is more into field work rather than research. A water engineer is sometimes needed to attend conferences or travel abroad to meet with partners or visit sites.
Employment Shifts
Full Time
A career as a water engineer involves working on a full-time basis. Initially, in the private sector, he or she is recruited on a provisional basis and is assigned permanent status after the successful completion of six months of training employees. Depending upon the work requirements and schedules assigned by the authorities, a water engineer is required to work certain shifts.
Usually, most of the time, employees work day shifts within regular working hours. However, sometimes he or she is required to work overtime or at night shift depending upon the project deadlines and their importance.
Employment Nature
Permanent
A career as a water engineer is permanent. Research topics are sometimes unknown and the time required to assess them cannot be depicted beforehand.
Hence, permanent employees are hired in the water resource management engineering industry. Short-term contracts and part-time work are not typical in this sector, but large companies are starting to realise the value of job-sharing.
Work Place
On-Field, Office
A career as a water engineer generally involves working in an office environment or on-field. A person may also sometimes need to attend conferences or travel abroad to meet with partners or visit sites.
Presence in Geographical Area
Semi-urban, Urban
For a career as a water engineer, the major working water plants are situated in cities like Narora, Rajasthan, Kakrapar, Tarapur, Kaiga, and Kudankulam. New plants have been made in New Delhi, Bhimpur, Mahi Banswara, Chutka, Mithi Virdi, Kovvada, Jaitapur, and Kalpakkam.
These are the major sites that work as a hub for water engineers and scientists. Although, various private construction industries have been set up in big cities which recruit a wide range of water engineers.
Time Pressure
Likely
Time pressure is considered moderate in the case of a career as a water engineer. Depending upon the work requirements and schedules assigned by the authorities, a water engineer is required to work certain shifts.
Usually, for most of the time, employers work day shifts within regular working hours. However, sometimes he or she is required to work overtime or at night shift depending upon the project deadlines and their importance.
Overtime Details
In a career as a water engineer, the working hours will depend on which part of the project one is assigned. If a person is involved in project management or design, research, and development, he or she typically works from 9 am to 5 pm.
A person may also sometimes need to attend conferences or travel abroad to meet with partners or visit sites. Those working in a processing or a power station will experience a different work environment since these facilities run on a 24-hour schedule. One might be required to work on a seven-day rota, including weekends, evenings, and nights.
Weekly Hours of Work
Min 45 Hours
In a career as a water engineer, the working hours will depend on which part of the project one is assigned. If a person is involved in project management or design, research, and development, he or she typically works from 9 am to 5 pm.
How to become a Water engineer?
Steps to become a Water engineer
We all know how important is to get clean and natural water. When the world is in a transformative phase with a growing population, technology and others bring climate and environmental change. In this situation, we need more and more water engineers to reduce or prepare for these changes.
If you are someone interested in engineering, construction, environmental or water industry and looking for the details on how to become a Water engineer in India then below we have provided step-by-step guidance for you.
What are the skills and qualities required to become a/an Water engineer?
In this section, we have discussed some of the water engineer skills that an individual should know and develop them.
Analytical Skills: To become a good water engineer, a person needs to have good analytical skills. He or she needs to identify design elements that help in building an efficient and safe water resource management project.
A water engineer should possess the ability to collect and analyse information, problem-solving, and decision-making skills. These strengths help them in solving particular issues and improve their overall productivity and success.
A water engineer should have a clear understanding of what may happen during a problem-solving process because those with strong analytical skills are often capable of quickly analysing a situation and often work well in a team setting to accomplish goals.
Communication Skills: Irrespective of the industry one works in, the ability to communicate effectively with superiors, colleagues, and staff is a must. Water engineering personnel are required to work with several different teams, so it is important to have good communication skills.
The ability to communicate should be effective for written as well as verbal aspects. It is essential to have a systematic approach to communication, given the wide range of mediums that are available, such as e-mails, marketing materials, presentations, and other written and spoken forms.
Attention to Detail: A water engineer administers the operation of construction facilities. He or she is required to pay close attention to what is happening at all times and ensure that operations stick to all guidelines and laws concerning the safety of workers as well as the environment.
As a water engineer supervises the entire construction facility, he or she needs to know what is happening and ensure the safety of the plant and the people working there at all times.
Logic: The role of a water engineer in water resource management systems is required to design complex systems. Therefore, he or she must be able to analyse the information logically and clearly so that others can follow his or her instructions.
With the help of concepts, judgments, reasoning, and other forms of thinking the rational cognitive process of reflecting objective reality actively is carried out. As a water engineer, one is required to use reasoning consistently, to find solutions.
There are various problems and situations present in water engineering that involve logical thinking, a call for structure, the relationship between facts, and chains of reasoning that are reasonable.
Mathematical Skill: As a water engineer, he or she is required to use the principles of calculus, trigonometry, and other advanced topics in math for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work.
He or she needs to make various calculations throughout his or her work as a water engineer. Being naturally talented in advanced math like calculus will go a long way towards making their studies and career feasible.
Attention to Safety: A water engineer needs to maintain high safety standards. Any damage to a construction site can have disastrous effects not only on the environment but also on the living beings around it. The harmful effects can take a long time to wear off, hence it is important to maintain high safety standards.
Teamwork: To be able to work with different teams, is a skill that a water engineer must have. As a water engineer, he or she is required to work with different teams to run the construction site, hence they need to be team players.
Popular Online Engineering Courses and Certifications
Which certifications and internships can be helpful in becoming Water engineer?
We have mentioned below several certificate courses that aspiring individuals may opt to upgrade their skills.
Internship Availability
To have a better understanding of a career as a water engineer, it is always important to go for an internship. No matter how many practical learning experiences your college or university provides, you will get real-world experience by working with a company or an organisation.
An internship gives you insights into an industry and answers several questions relevant to how to become a water engineer in India. Water engineering apprenticeships are most appropriate for starting a career as a water engineer. There are various water resource management companies involved in construction that offer a variety of water engineering apprenticeships to candidates studying civil engineering or water resource engineering.
To be considered for an internship, the candidates are required to be studying for a master's or bachelor's level water engineering degree or water engineering courses. The candidates must possess a genuine interest in engineering design related to environmental engineering.
Candidates must possess strong interpersonal skills, effective in both verbal and written communication. The water engineering apprenticeships are subjected to assist senior engineers and learn the technical skills used in the construction sites.
What is the job outlook for Water engineer?
A water engineer can find good employment opportunities in the foreseeable future. Candidates in water resource engineering courses or civil engineering can expect good job prospects by 2024, expecting the water engineering jobs to grow by 24 per cent by that time, over and above its reported total.
This results in making civil engineering the biggest employment hub in the sector. With the increasing climatic hazards and resource recession throughout the country, water engineering jobs will touch the sky.
The water resource management engineering industry is a powerful engine for job creation. There is a wide range of opportunities available for candidates with water engineering courses. As a water engineer, one can find diverse career options in several government agencies at all levels.
It is important to get related work experience and one can start while still a student by attending open days at various construction facilities organised by different national laboratories and research centres to witness what the work is like and to talk to employees.
Another way to gain experience would be to join a construction site as part of an industrial placement for one’s degree. Other than formal placements, part-time work is not usually available during the water engineering degree.
However, one may be able to gain experience or part-time work with the offshore construction side of a large dam or construction organisation that is involved in the industry, which would provide an advantage later on.
All civil engineering companies will expect their employees to keep up with new developments. This can be achieved either through formal on-the-job training, attending industry conferences, or taking water resource management systems engineering projects.
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Frequently Asked Questions for Water engineer
Que. What is the role of a water engineer?
Ans.A water engineer works to build tools and techniques that can increase water efficiency and provide us with a sustainable environment to live in.
If we talk about the key points of a water engineer’s work, we can say that a water engineer designs various solutions that protect a town from the devastating effects of flooding.
Que. What is a water engineering salary in India?
Ans.A water engineer's salary in India varies according to the job duties assigned to the professional. A water engineer with less than one year of experience is expected to earn an average total compensation of Rs. 4 lakhs per annum which includes bonuses, and overtime pay.
Que. Where do water engineer work?
Ans.As a water engineer, one might be working in an office or at a construction site or could be involved in supervising and checking work on construction sites when facilities are being built or closed.
He or she also works in the seepage conditions under and around the dam and the stability of the dam under a range of normal and extreme loading conditions.
Que. How to become a water engineer?
Ans.After the successful completion of the bachelor's degree and entrance examination, the students are required to complete a postgraduate programme specialising in water resources and management engineering.
Que. What is the salary of water engineer in India?
Ans.The estimated salary of a water engineer in India is Rs 2.6 lakhs to Rs 12.0 lakhs with an annual average salary of Rs 4.7 lakhs.
Que. What is a water engineer?
Ans.A Water Engineer is a professional engineer who ensures the water supplies are cleaned, dispose of wastewater and sewage and prevent flood damage. He or she designs structures for water resources and controls the projects.
Que. What does a water process engineer do?
Ans.The water process engineer reviews and troubleshoots the treatment process designs facility and evaluates the review process technologies. He or she collects data, analyses the existing systems and develops and conducts pilot testing.
Que. Is water engineering a good career?
Ans.Yes, water engineering is a good career as it is highly demanded in both public and private sectors. This career is also rewarding and is a highly-paid job.
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Did you know?
Fact 1
Small rivers and lakes are disappearing entirely due to increased water demand
Fact 2
Water engineers work on complex projects which involve various technical, economic, and environmental factors
Fact 3
The Itaipu Dam is the largest operating hydroelectric facility in terms of annual generating capacity
Fact 4
The Itaipu Dam is the largest operating hydroelectric facility in terms of annual generating capacity
