Environmental Engineer

Mansoor Ahmed

A tour of one of Peshawar, Pakistan’s first wastewater treatment plants in 1994 piqued Mansoor Ahmad’s interest in the environment. "It was really amazing,” recalls the environmental engineer.

Until that point, much of the developing nation’s wastewater was often dumped into nearby rivers without proper treatment. "At the time, nobody was concerned about the environment. People were more concerned about attracting more industries…becoming more industrialized.”

Two years later, Mansoor arrived in Canada to study environmental engineering.

Today, Mansoor works as an environmental engineer in the Department of Environment and Conservation for the Newfoundland and Labrador government. He is passionate about his work. "It feels really good when you stop someone from polluting the environment.”

He likes to compare his work to that of a doctor—just as a doctor takes care of a person’s body, environmental professionals "take care of Mother Nature’s body.” Mansoor spends much of his time touring industrial facilities.

He examines their environmental control technologies and ensures they meet the stringent provincial air pollution control and effluent regulations issued in 2004.

Mansoor finds his job empowering. "Under the regulations, I’m the one who can put the brakes on companies from polluting. I’m the one who gets to tell them, ‘no, you can’t do that!’”

Often companies aren’t so receptive to these regulations, believing they are too expensive to implement. "We tell them that we don’t pass these regulations—they come from Cabinet. We have no authority to change them,” says Mansoor.

Some businesses even try to circumvent environmental laws by devising their own, less expensive ways of controlling their pollution. "I sit there thinking to myself, ‘I know their ways aren’t going to work.’”

At this point, Mansoor must step in and guide these businesses in the right direction, to ensure they adhere to the laws and that the environment remains protected.