1. ROLE OF THE CIVIL ENGINEER IN
THE SOCIETY DURING COVID-19
Name of Student
2. INTRODUCTION
• Civil engineers create and enhance the
infrastructures and systems that allow
us to live comfortably and sustainably.
This includes everything from the
delivery of utilities like electricity and
clean water to the collection, sorting,
and recycling of rubbish to the
development of innovative approaches
to combating environmental issues like
pollution.
• Bridges, roads, railroads, and tunnels
are all things that civil engineers work
on.
3. TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS
• First area to be impacted by COVID-
19 which received much attention.
• Workers saved a lot of time by
avoiding rush hour traffic.
• Emergency responders were able to
arrive at sites quicker and safer.
• Local transportation maintenance
staff took advantage of the
situation by doing more work
4. CONSTRUCTION
• Some states and/or contractors in the public works
sector took advantage of the vacant roadways to move
projects along more quickly.
• Some businesses resumed normal operations, others
halted all building work owing to the COVID-19
outbreak.
• Rise in bidder turnout as contractors competed for work
in the face of a volatile economy.
• Delays in the private sector's construction industry were
caused by investors pulling money from projects.
• Contractors were buying equipment as demand rose, but
most shoppers were looking for toilet paper in
department shops.
5. WATER TREATMENT INFRASTRUCTURE
• Numerous water and
wastewater utility
companies have back-up
plans in place to keep vital
services running despite
personnel cuts.
• Workers at water and
wastewater treatment
plants did not have an
elevated risk of getting
COVID-19 compared to
the general population.
6. SUSTAINABILITY IMPACTS
• Less people were using
their cars, and some
factories were cutting
back on production to
reduce their
environmental impact.
• Air pollution caused 1.5
million premature
deaths in China.
7. SUSTAINABILITY IMPACTS (CONT.)
• Companies felt the need to
increase output during and
after the COVID-19 pandemic
to make up for income lost
during the crisis and in the
lead-up to it. This nullified the
benefits of reduced emissions
while they were idle.
9. SHIFT TOWARDS REMOTE WORK
• Working remotely has become the
norm in most fields, and this trend
has been felt across the workplace.
• . The shift to remote work has
benefits and drawbacks, therefore it
may be seen as both a strength and a
weakness.
• Virtual platforms replaced physical
ones for these gatherings during the
COVID pandemic.
10. CONCLUSION
The pandemic served to shine a light on the field's strengths,
provide insight into how to strengthen its flaws, open up fresh
avenues for potential initiatives, and aid in the mitigation of any
newly identified hazards.
11. REFERENCES
• Datta, S.C., 2020. Artificial-Nest Rainwater-Harvesting with Fishery and Floating-or-Rooftop-Gardening Act as 21st Century COVID-19 Epidemic-
Model: Improved Biodiversity Agriculture Socio-Economic Civil-Engineering Environmental-Sciences Technology-Communication. Journal of Civil
Engineering and Environmental Sciences, 6(2), pp.022-036.
• Revilla-Cuesta, V., Skaf, M., Espinosa, A.B. and Ortega-López, V., 2022. Teaching lessons learnt by civil-engineering teachers from the COVID-19
pandemic at the University of Burgos, Spain. Plos one, 17(12), p.e0279313.
• Oerther, D.B. and Watson, R., 2020. Risk communication is important for environmental engineering during COVID-19. Journal of Environmental
Engineering, 146(10), p.01820002.
• Hendrickson, C. and Rilett, L.R., 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic and transportation engineering. Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A:
Systems, 146(7), p.01820001.
• Cardno, C.A., 2020. Companies offer free tech during COVID-19 slowdown. Civil Engineering Magazine Archive, 90(5), pp.40-43.
• Mather, A., 2022, February. The importance of networking for civil engineers both during and beyond Covid-19. In Proceedings of the Institution of
Civil Engineers-Civil Engineering (Vol. 175, No. 5, pp. 36-41). Thomas Telford Ltd.
• Hansen, S., 2020, May. Does the COVID-19 outbreak constitute a force majeure event? A pandemic impact on construction contracts. In Journal of
the civil engineering forum (Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 201-214).
Notas do Editor
The civil engineering sector is not immune to the effects of global events, trends, and legislation. The recent global pandemic, COVID-19, has far-reaching repercussions for the field of civil engineering, both today and in the future. The COVID-19 pandemic may permanently alter the way many of us go about our professional lives, but it also presents civil engineers with a unique opportunity to fully embrace the incorporation of digital software into their professional routines and to make the most of remote work opportunities wherever they arise. The industry may benefit from the further advancement of digital technology in order to better respond to future pandemics and global calamities.
The transportation system was the first area of civil engineering to feel the effects, and it is also the area that has received the greatest attention. There have been pictures of deserted highways in cities that are usually clogged with traffic. Essential workers who had to go to their workplaces saved a lot of time by avoiding rush hour traffic. In a similar vein, first responders will have a more expedited and secure means of getting to emergencies. Because of disruptions in the supply chain caused by COVID-19, the cost of transportation, from fuel at the pump to plane tickets, went down. Last but not least, when roads were free of obstructions, local transportation maintenance staff took advantage of the situation by doing more work, including things like pavement restoration that would normally be forbidden owing to the significant public nuisance they generate.
Building, and especially building homes, is now widely recognised as a crucial service. It has been felt differently across industries and in various ways across the states. Some states and/or contractors in the public works sector took advantage of the vacant roadways to move projects along more quickly. While some businesses resumed normal operations, others halted all building work owing to the COVID-19 outbreak. There was a rise in bidder turnout as contractors competed for work in the face of a volatile economy. Delays in the private sector's construction industry have been caused by investors pulling money from projects. Contractors were buying equipment as demand rose, but most shoppers were looking for toilet paper in department shops.
One of the most important public health instruments in industrialised nations is the water treatment system. In addition to viruses, they are useful for preventing epidemics of bacteria and protozoa. However, these establishments need employees to ensure reliable performance. Numerous water and wastewater utility companies have back-up plans in place to keep vital services running despite personnel cuts. Workers at water and wastewater treatment plants did not have an elevated risk of getting COVID-19 compared to the general population.
The ecology has already felt the effects of COVID-19. Less people were using their cars, and some factories were cutting back on production to reduce their environmental impact. One research in 2015 estimated that air pollution caused 1.5 million premature deaths in China, but we will not be able to calculate the public health benefit until the crisis is gone. Because the new coronavirus was discovered in animals bought and sold at a market in Wuhan, China also put a halt on the trading of wildlife. However, it was anticipated that this hold would be brief. Grocery stores, for example, were one example of how businesses were decentralising their supply chains by shifting to rely more heavily on regional suppliers. Since fewer miles need to be travelled, less fuel is used, which corresponds to fewer emissions.
Some research suggests that the worse quality air in currently polluted areas may help in disease transmission and exacerbate symptoms. Scientists have discovered a drop in air pollution throughout Italy, notably in emissions of nitrogen dioxide. This drop may be seen most clearly in northern Italy, which has been placed under lockdown countrywide to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
For civil engineers who are no longer considered vital, working from home has been the most noticeable shift. Cloud computing, remote data access, virtual private networks, online chat rooms, and video conferences are just some of the new technologies being deployed. In truth, most businesses are putting their technical prowess to the test with COVID-19. Some businesses, however, have not yet made the transition from on-premises storage to the cloud. It may be as little as a few megabytes, or as much as 400 terabytes, spread among 60 offices, all having to be uploaded to the cloud.
All in-person gatherings have to be conducted via video conferencing or internet teleconferences. While video conferencing is supported by most software, employees typically opt to turn it off, meaning they miss out on the benefits of seeing others' expressions and body language. Virtual platforms replaced physical ones for these gatherings during the COVID pandemic. Meeting with town officials and commission members remotely has been found by many engineers to be a time- and effort-saving way to get approvals.
By getting to know one another and practising adaptability at work, civil engineering professionals were able to form a tight-knit team. They discovered new methods and strengthened their internet security protocols. They came up with novel approaches to communication and assembly procedure.