UICH005 CIVIL ENGINEERS AND SOCIETY

Syllabus

Introduction to Civil Engineering – Branches of Civil Engineering – Scope of Civil

Engineering – Types of Infrastructures – Impact of infrastructural development on economy
and environment of country – Role of Civil Engineer in Society.

Part A

1. What is Civil Engineering?

 Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design,
construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment,
including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewerage
systems, pipelines, structural components of buildings, and railways.
 Definition:- “Civil Engineering is the art of directing the great sources of power in
nature for the use and convenience of man”.- Royal Charter of Institute of Civil
Engineers London.
 “ Civil Engineering is that field of engineering concerned with planning, design and
construction for environmental Control, development of natural resources, buildings,
transportation facilities and other structures required for health, welfare, safety,
employment and pleasure of mankind”. Fredrick .S. Merit Hand book for Civil
Engineers.
2. What are the Professional skills needed in a Civil Engineer
 A sound understanding of social and professional responsibility.
 Effective communication skills.
 Ability to recognize the need of life-long learning.
 Ability to function with diverse teams.
3. What are the Technical skills needed in a Civil Engineer
 Strong Mathematical skills as well as ability to apply them in Engineering.
 Solution-oriented with ability to analyze and find solutions in different contexts.
 Ability to design projects keeping in mind its societal, financial and environmental
impacts.
 Well versed with modern engineering tools and techniques.
4. List the branches of Civil Engineering.
1. Structural Engineering
2. Geotechnical Engineering
3. Water Resources Engineering
4. Environmental Engineering
5. Transportation Engineering
6. Construction Engineering
7. Surveying and levelling
8. Earthquake engineering
9. Town planning etc.

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5. What is Infrastructure?
 In general, it has also been defined as "the physical components of interrelated
systems providing commodities and services essential to enable, sustain, or enhance
societal living conditions".
 Infrastructure is the fundamental facilities and systems serving a country, city, or
other area, including the services and facilities necessary for its economy to function.
6. List different types of Infrastructure.
There are two general types of ways to view infrastructure, hard or soft.
 Hard infrastructure refers to the physical networks necessary for the functioning of a
modern industry. This includes roads, bridges, railways, etc.
 Soft infrastructure refers to all the institutions that maintain the economic, health, social,
and cultural standards of a country. This includes educational programs, official statistics,
parks and recreational facilities, law enforcement agencies, and emergency services.

Civil engineers play an extremely important role in the society.

• They are responsible for maintaining the overall safety of society in a number of ways
including rural engineering.

• From constructing highways and buildings to bridges and tunnels, the responsibilities
of civil engineers are many.

• Civil engineers are responsible for planning and overseeing different construction
efforts and apply civil engineering principles to ensure that the constructed structures are safe
and sturdy.

Part B

1. Elaborate on the importance of Civil Engineering.

Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design,
construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including
public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewerage systems, pipelines,
structural components of buildings, and railways.

Civil engineering is an important branch among all the other engineering branches as through
construction and infrastructure a nation can be called as developed or non developed. Without
this branch of engineering, roads, buildings, canals, dams can’t be made as it is work of a
civil engineer.

Civil engineering is traditionally broken into a number of sub-disciplines such as

Construction engineering, Environmental Engineering, Structural Engineering, Geotechnical
Engineering, Surveying, Transportation engineering, Municipal or urban engineering, Water
resources engineering, etc.

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Civil engineers play an extremely important role in the society.

 They are responsible for maintaining the overall safety of society in a number of ways
including rural engineering.
 From constructing highways and buildings to bridges and tunnels, the responsibilities
of civil engineers are many.
 Civil engineers are responsible for planning and overseeing different construction
efforts and apply civil engineering principles to ensure that the constructed structures
are safe and sturdy.

Civil engineering has great aspects in public life such as

 Civil engineers help in making better roads for motor vehicles.

 Civil engineering helps in connecting two mountain gaps through bridge construction.
 It helps in making dams so that electricity can be generated as we know that huge
amount of electricity comes through dams.

Therefore civil engineering is very important branch and it is very much essential for public
and nation development.

2. Summarize the branches of Civil Engineering.

Civil engineering affects many of our daily activities: the buildings we live in and work in,
the transportation facilities we use, the water we drink, and the drainage and sewage systems
that are necessary to our health and well-being.

Civil engineers:

• Measure and map the earth’s surface.

• Design and supervise the construction of bridges, tunnels, large buildings, dams, and
coastal structures.
• Plan, layout, construct, and maintain railroads, highways, and airports.
• Devise systems for the control and efficient flow of traffic.
• Plan and build river navigation and flood control projects.
• Provide plants and systems for water supply and sewage and refuse disposal.

1. Structural Engineering: This discipline involves the design of structures that should be safe
for the users, be economical, and accomplish the desired functions. The design and analysis
should initially identify the loads that act on the structures, stresses that are created due to
loads, and then design the structure to withstand these loads. It includes steel structures,
buildings, tunnels, highways, dams, and bridges.

2. Geotechnical Engineering: Geotechnical engineering deals with soils, rocks, foundations of

buildings and bridges, highways, sewers and underground water systems. Technical
information obtained from the sciences of geology, material testing, and hydraulics is applied
in the design of foundations and structures to ensure safety and economy of construction.

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3. Water Resources Engineering: This discipline of civil engineering concerns the

management of quantity and quality of water in the underground and above ground water
resources, such as rivers, lakes and streams. Geographical areas are analyzed to forecast the
amount of water that will flow into and out of a water source. Fields of hydrology, geology,
and environmental science are included in this discipline of civil engineering.

4. Environmental Engineering: : It is related to the science of waste management of all types,

purification of water, cleaning of contaminated areas, reduction of pollution, and industrial
ecology. Technical data obtained due to environmental engineering assists the policy makers
in making decisions related to environmental issues.

5. Transportation Engineering: Civil engineers that specialize in transportation engineering

will work with the planning, construction and management of transportation facilities. They
will design and implement the infrastructures that deal with transportation in order to provide
a safe, comfortable, convenient, economical and environmentally compatible mode of
transport. There are six divisions related to transportation engineering: highway, air
transportation, waterway, aerospace, coastal & ocean and urban transportation.

6. Construction Engineering: This civil engineering branch deals with the planning,
construction and maintenance of structures. Construction engineering is the planning and
execution of designs from site development, environmental, structural, transportation and
structural engineers. They must ensure that the plans that have been designed by other
engineers are implemented to their exact specifications. Construction engineers will supervise
field work during the entire project. They are in a sense a cross between an engineer and
manager as they will oversee the project from start to finish and handle any problems that
come up throughout the duration of the project.

7. Surveying and levelling: This type of civil engineering branch handles the surveying and
leveling of land by using different instruments to map and contour the terrain. This is done to
locate and measure property lines, lay out buildings, bridges, channels, highways, and
pipelines for constructions. Surveyors are generally classified into two categories: plane
surveying and geodetic surveying.

8. Other Disciplines: Some of the other disciplines included in civil engineering include
coastal engineering, earthquake engineering, materials science, municipal engineering, tunnel
engineering, town planning etc.

3. Elaborate on the scope of Civil Engineering.

Civil Engineering possesses huge scope and contains wide spectrum of sub-discplines. There
are various fields within this engineering branch which you may choose to pursue your
career.
 Civil Engineering is a wide field and includes many types of structures such as residential
buildings, public buildings, industrial buildings, roads, bridges, tunnels, railways, dams,

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canal and canal structures, airports, harbours, and ports, water treatment plants, waste
water treatment plant, water supply networks, and drainage networks.
 According to the type of structures and activities carried out, main branches of civil
engineering are classified as follows: Surveying & levelling, Building, Planning and
construction, Advanced Construction, Structural Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering,
Water Resources Engineering, Transportation Engineering, Environmental Engineering,
Town Planning, etc.
 Civil engineers are concerned with many types of structures of which buildings are of
prime importance.
• Buildings are planned according to the fundamental principles of planning &
bylaws of local municipal bodies.
• Building planning requires basic knowledge of principles of architecture.
• Buildings may be residential or public building like school, colleges, government
office, hospitals, etc. they are designed according to need of specific occupants
and purposes.
 Civil engineering is much more than erecting skyscrapers or bridges. Civil engineers are
trained in the interactions among structures, the earth, and water, with applications
ranging from highways to dams and water reservoirs.
 Deeply involved with specifying appropriate construction materials, many civil engineers
and others are also employed by the manufacturers of those materials.
 Since constructing a large building or public-works project can involve elaborate
planning, civil engineers can be outstanding project managers. They sometimes oversee
thousands of workers and develop advanced computerization and planning policies.
 Most significantly, many civil engineers are involved with preserving, protecting, or
restoring the environment.
• Most water treatment and water purification projects are designed and constructed
by civil engineers (in these two areas, many of them are known as environmental
engineers).
• A growing number of civil engineers are involved in billion-dollar projects to
clean up toxic industrial or municipal wastes at abandoned dump sites.
• Civil engineers engage in such diverse projects as preserving wetlands or beaches,
maintaining national forest parks, and restoring the land around mines, oil wells,
or factories.
 CAREER OPTIONS
Civil Engineers have a wide range of career options from which to choose. Civil engineers
work with construction companies, manufacturing companies, power companies, and with
consulting engineering firms. Many opportunities for civil engineering employment exist in
city, county, state, and federal government agencies.

 SALARIES AND THE INTANGIBLE REWARDS

Civil engineering graduates earn the highest pay of any college graduates. Over the long
term, however, salaries tend to level off, but are still very high relative to all professionals—
but not the highest. An attractive aspect of a career in civil engineering is that employment

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can be found in or tailored to any setting, whether “at a desk”, “in the field”, or any
combination of the two.

4. Summarize on the Types of Infrastructures.

Infrastructure is the fundamental facilities and systems serving a country, city, or other area,
including the services and facilities necessary for its economy to function.

Infrastructure is composed of public and private physical improvements such as roads,

railways, bridges, tunnels, water supply, sewers, electrical grids, and telecommunications
(including Internet connectivity and broadband speeds).

In general, it has also been defined as "the physical components of interrelated systems
providing commodities and services essential to enable, sustain, or enhance societal living
conditions".

There are two general types of ways to view infrastructure, hard or soft.
 Hard infrastructure refers to the physical networks necessary for the functioning of a
modern industry. This includes roads, bridges, railways, etc.
 Soft infrastructure refers to all the institutions that maintain the economic, health, social,
and cultural standards of a country. This includes educational programs, official statistics,
parks and recreational facilities, law enforcement agencies, and emergency services.

Infrastructure construction projects are what keep the important functions alive.
Infrastructure projects are responsible for keeping electricity and water flowing to homes and
businesses. They’re also responsible for the roads, bridges and other mass transit ways used
to deliver people and goods across the nation. These are the various types of infrastructure
construction projects across the nation.

1. Highways, Streets, and Roads

 A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places that has been
paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by foot or some form of conveyance,
including a motor vehicle, cart, or bicycle.
 Highways, streets, and roads are common types of infrastructure construction
projects.
 While more often than not streets and roads are repair projects, they are not less
complex logistically than other infrastructure projects.
 Street reconstruction is an infrastructure construction project that provides long-term
fixes to an already existing road, and sometimes is the only way to repair it.
 Highway construction can be resurfacing or reconstruction; however, expansion
projects are also very common in congested areas.
2. Bridges
 Bridges are an important part of infrastructure construction projects.
 A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle, such as a body of water,
valley, or road, without closing the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose

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of providing passage over the obstacle, usually something that can be detrimental to
cross otherwise.
3. Mass Transit, Airports, and Airways
 One area of infrastructure construction projects that is growing is airport refitting.
Many of the nation’s largest infrastructure construction projects are airport
reconstruction and retrofitting.
 Many airports haven’t been updated in many years, and are in need or retrofitting.
 The overhauling of our nation’s air travel and mass transit systems are the much-
needed infrastructure construction projects. These projects often require not only the
laying or relaying of utilities and services but also of runways.
4. Water Supply and Resources
 Water resources are natural resources of water that are potentially useful. Uses of
water include agricultural, industrial, household, recreational and environmental
activities. All living things require water to grow and reproduce.
 Water supply and sanitation require a huge amount of capital investment in
infrastructure such as pipe networks, pumping stations and water treatment works.
 Water supply and water resources are incredibly crucial to life. They’re also one of
the types of infrastructure construction projects.
 Depending on the state you live in and what the local laws are, many of the water
infrastructure projects are on updating water distribution services and improving
drought resistance.
5. Waste Management and Waste Water Management
 Waste management and wastewater management is one of the more important types
of infrastructure construction projects. It is what keeps citizens safe.
 The safe transportation of waste from residential and commercial areas keeps our
cities clean.
 Waste products can include trash, recycling, and wastewater. These must be moved
from residential and commercial areas to prevent the spread of pests and diseases.
 To keep citizens safe, waste management infrastruction construction projects ensure
that the facilities where these products are stored are properly built and maintained.
6. Power Generation and Transmission
 Infrastructure construction projects include power generation and transmission. These
projects can include the construction of the power generation plant. It also will
include the facilities and structures necessary to store the power and transmit power.
 Since these facilities are incredibly important to the infrastructure of the country, their
construction is important.
 Depending on the region and the laws, some states have moved to underground
utilities like power.
7. Telecommunications
 Telecommunications is what allows the world to be as interconnected as it is. As a
result, the infrastructure construction projects surrounding telecommunication are
essential.

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 There are areas in our country that have limited access to various telecommunication
services, while other areas have congested telecommunication services. These areas
benefit from infrastructure construction projects that help ease the pathways that
connect our world.
8. Hazardous Waste Removal and Storage
 The infrastructure construction projects are responsible for ensuring that harmful
materials like nuclear materials are safely stored. The safe construction of these sites
is crucial to maintaining a healthy populous.
 Infrastructure contractors that specialize in hazard construction understand the gravity
of their projects.

5. Elaborate on the Impact of Infrastructure Development on the Economic

Development of a country

Infrastructure is the base on which economic growth is built upon. Roads, water supply, mass
transportation, airports and other utilities all constitute infrastructure.

Infrastructure consists of all supporting services which are necessary for the growth in the
directly productive sectors (agriculture and industry). It includes within its domain provisions
for healthcare and education, transportation, communication, power and water supply,
irrigation facilities etc.

• The infrastructural facilities mainly transportation, power, communication, water resources,

banking, science and technology create environment in which Industries and business can
grow. Due to the basic facilities which any industry needs are provided by infrastructural
sector, country has progressed well.

Per capita income and Gross domestic product are the economic measures for assessment of
development.

• Per Capita Income:

Per Capita income is the average income of normal resident of a country in a particular year.
It is obtained by dividing national income of a country by its population

• Gross domestic Product:

Gross domestic product at market price is the value of all fixed goods and services at prices
prevailing in the market produced in the domestic territory of a country during a given year.

• Due to the acceleration of progress of infrastructural projects overall development and

upliftment of common man can be done. Thus the infracture development is key to economic
development of any country.

Infrastructure has a two-way connection with economic growth. Development of

infrastructural facilities stimulates economic growth. This happens through the following
ways:

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 Infrastructural facilities such as power, water and transport etc. are essential for the
growth of directly productive sectors of agriculture and industry. Insufficient
availability of the former results in the sub-optimal utilization of assets in the latter.
 Infrastructural facility of transport enhances productivity significantly.
 Infrastructure is practically the key to modern technology in almost all sectors.
 Empirically, a close relationship is observed between the development of
infrastructure facilities and economic growth. 1 percent growth in infrastructural stock
brings about 1 percent growth in per capita GDP.
 It has been shown by a study that around 6.5% of the total value added is contributed
by Infrastructural sector in low-income countries. This proportion increases to 9% in
middle-income countries, and 11% in high-income countries.

Again, economic growth brings about a Change in infrastructure. This backward linkage can
be perfectly illustrated through the following example:

GDP growth>>increases traffic demand>>requires change in transport system>>if provided,

catalyses GDP growth, else inhibits it >> again impacts traffic demand.

This fact is also observed in countries with different income levels.

 In low-income countries, demand for infrastructural facilities for water and irrigation
is the foremost. In middle-income countries, the demand for transport is very high.
 In high-income countries, it is the power and telecommunication facilities that have
the highest demand. Thus, with the changes in income level, the composition of
infrastructure changes in an economy.

6. Elaborate on the Role of a Civil Engineer in general.

Civil engineer is the one who designs and maintains the work of public utilities. Following
are the main roles or duties of civil engineers.

• Civil engineers main role is in surveying, planning, designing, estimation and execution
of structures like buildings, roads, bridges, railways, ports, airports, dams, canals, water
and waste water treatment plants, water distribution network and sewerage system.
• To use scientific and engineering principles for solutions of different engineering
problems
• To solve different engineering problems with the help of field experience, laboratory
techniques, mathematical models, using computer and information technology.
• To implement management techniques for better management of man, material, machines
and money.
• To carry out planning of building as per its functional needs, as suggested by clients or
user, the building may be residential building, public building, or industrial building. He
has to plan the building as per the byelaws.
• To carry out soil investigations for the design of foundation of structures.
• To carry out design of structures as per the principles of structural analysis and design. He
should also ensure that the design is safe, durable, and economical.

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• To prepare the estimates to know the probable cost of completion of work.

• To invite tenders & to select contractors for the works.
• To carry out valuation of land or building for the purpose of finding its sale or purchase
price or taxation.
• Civil engineers have to work for the general welfare of people.

7. Elaborate on the Role of a Civil Engineer in society.

Civil engineers play an extremely important role in the society.

 They are responsible for maintaining the overall safety of society in a number of ways
including rural engineering.
 From constructing highways and buildings to bridges and tunnels, the responsibilities
of civil engineers are many.
 Civil engineers are responsible for planning and overseeing different construction
efforts and apply civil engineering principles to ensure that the constructed structures
are safe and sturdy.

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