Concern for clean environment is growing rapidly in direct proportion to industrialisation and urbanisatiori. This in fact has opened up a lot of avenues for students, who are keen to provide the world with clear air, fresh water and fertile soil. Countries across the globe are busy fighting environmental threats like deforestation, air and water pollution and deteriorating wildlife habitats.

These statistics will give a better idea. The total size of the market for environmental sector is estimated at about $ 2 billion. The major opportunities include wastewater treatment including municipal sewage treatment, which is worth $ 1,2 billion; air pollution control, which is worth $.140 million; hazardous wastes' management, which is worth $ 100 million; municipal solid wastes-to-energy or composts'
projects, which is worth $ 1OO million; environmental instrumentation, which is worth $ 20 million and consulting and training, which is worth $ 5 million.

According to associate professor, civil engineering department, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD), A.K. Mittal, "Environment is an integral part of any activity. It is necessary to take care of our environment for optimal utilisation of resources, to ensure sustainable development of mankind." The IITD offers an M Tech in Environmental Science and Engineering and an inter-disciplinary M Tech in Energy and Environment Management. Environmental engineering is offered at IIT branches in Delhi, Kanpur, Kharagpur and Chennai at the M Tech level, but only for those who are B Tech in civil engineering. Students at the M Tech programmes are admitted through Graduate Admission Test in Engineering (GATE). Renewable and alternative energy sources like thermal and hydel power, solar wind, ocean and bio mass energy are gaining prominence. Apart from the government, private sector companies are moreover, investing in
renewable energy sources. A professor of environmental engineering, Delhi College of Engineering (DCE), S K Singh said: "The role of an environment scientist is to, find the root cause of a problem and then give the solution for it, which is necessary, for maintaining the ecology, River pollution, water contamination, sewage treatment and hospital waste management are the issues of concern to the environmental scientist today."

For graduates, interested in working in the industry, be if construction, power generation or manufacturing, should get familiar with a
standard known as ISO 14001. The curriculum offered at most of the institutes imparting programmes in environment is similar in nature. Speaking on the BE and ME programmes in environmental engineering offered (at DCE, Singh remarked, "Our courses include inputs on water treatment, environmental impact assessment, soil and water conversation, air pollution, water pollution, sewage waste
management, microbiology and environment services." The two-year MSc programme in Environment Management offered by the School of Environment Management (SEM) at Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) covers remote sensing and GIS application, energy management, environment biotechnology and environmental modelling. The head, SEM, Amarjeet Kaur said: "Our courses are unique, as no other Indian university offers a degree in environment management. The core thrust of our programmes is on, how to tackle environment-related problems?"

The students of environment find employment opportunities at various organisations. Singh elaborated, "The placement opportunities are available at Central Pollution Control Board, State Pollution Control Board, as environment consultants, in pollution control, water management and sewage management bodies. Industries demand a large number of environment managers as it has become necessary for them to conform to the environmental norms."

The best part of a career in environment is that it offers a student the choice of a wide variety of disciplines. Whether a student is interested is in making manufacturing processes more eco friendly, monitoring biodiversity, or reclaiming contaminated land, there is a rich and varied set of career options available. Some of the eco-careers are oceanography; fishery, anthropology, agriculture, food processing, dairy farming, energy management, veterinary science, dietetics and nutrition, marine engineering, environmental engineering, horticulture, biotechnology; environmental journalism and eco tourism. Placements are not a problem for the talented lot. The DCE manages to get 60 per cent placement for its students on campus. The GGSIPU boasts of 100 percent placements. Speaking
about the remunerations, Kaur remarked, "The starting salary ranges from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000," while Singh added "The MNCs pay much better after a person gains a few years of experience." Mittal said: "The future in environment is promising, especially because it is still a developing area in developing countries. With growing industrialisation, we definitely need more environmental engineers to
maintain a balance in the nature."

Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi
Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai
Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
Delhi College of Engineering, New Delhi
Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Kashmere Gate, Delhi
Centre for Environmental Management of Degraded Eco Systems, University of Delhi
CPR Environmental Education Centre, Chennai
GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Env and Development, Almora
Indian Council of Forestry Research & Education, Dehradun Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc, Bangalore
Forest Research Institute, Dehradun
Centre for Forestry Research and Human Resource Development, Chhindwara
Institute of Rain and Moist Deciduous Forest Research, Jorhat
Institute of Wood Science and Technology, Bangaiore
Temperate Research Institute, Shimla
Centre for Social Forestry and Eco-habilltation, Allahabad
Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal (www.iifm.org)
Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun
Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu - Diploma in Energy Management Technology
Centre for Mining Environment, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad

Alok Sinha, Managing Director of Footwear Design and Development Institute, talks to INDIRA DHARCHAUDHURI about the future of footwear designing in India.

1. An industry promising phenomenal growth: Since footwear is an integral part of the booming fashion 
industry footwear designing is a 'hot' career choice. 
2. Scope and career prospects: Jobs are aplenty in this field, though the initial pay may be low at 
about Rs. 8,000-12,000 per month. . 
3. Hot skills for the future: Though technical knowledge and precision are the two most important skills for 
a career in footwear designing, every footwear designer must be computer savy Most footwear technology courses are already computer-aided, so knowledge of CAD (Computer Aided Design) is a must.