Background :
Ecological engineering is the design for sustainable ecosystems that integrates society with its natural environment for the benefit of both. Emerged as a promising tool in late 1980s, it is an important tool to secure clean industrial production, integrated with environmental protection using resource management principles of ecosystem. The 4-R concept (refuse, reuse, recycle and rehabilitate) has a key role to ensure clean industrial production, sustainable life styles well as to mitigate environmental pollution.

Objectives :
The objectives of the centre are to provide facilities for environmental awareness programmes to the masses (through publication of booklets, charts, etc) imparting training to skilled and non-skilled persons, offering courses to students and extending facilities to researchers on the relevant areas of ecological engineering, especially ecological sanitation, maintaining a close link with agricultural production dealing with the regional problems. The inter departmental multidisciplinary activities are closely involved in implementing the programme.

Application Areas

• Water Resource Management
• Landscape and City Planning
• Sustainable Development
• Integrated Pest Management
• Agro Forestry
• River Restoration
• Eco-planning and Eco-villages
• Ecological Modeling

Establishment :
University of Kalyani has organized the International Conference of Ecological Engineering in November 1998, in Science City, Kolkata and subsequently a proceeding of the conference was published which was well circulated worldwide. Subsequently the International Centre of Ecological Engineering (ICEE) was set up at the University of Kalyani in 2002. A Steering committee and Advisory committee were constituted to run the center and Professor B .B .Jana was entrusted to coordinate the functioning, planning and development of the center.

Current activities :
The Center has made remarkable strides in the field of research at National and International level. Several projects are being implemented at the Centre at present.

Research Projects :
Hazard analysis and risk assessment of fishes grown in sewage fed ponds for in situ development of strategies for improved treatment system and wastewater fed aquaculture practice sponsored by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Govt. of India.

Evaluation of some eco-engineering approaches used for nutrient recovery from various wastes and their potentials for improvement of rural economy sponsored by University of Kalyani.

• Efficacy of constructed wetlands in the removal of pathogens in wastewater fed aquaculture.
• Energy flow and ecosystem analysis of domestic wastewater aquaculture system.
• Wastewater fed aquaculture as a reclamation strategy.
• Eco-tech approaches towards reclamation of eutrophic waters using Hydroponics (as raft system) and other biological agents.

Degree Offered :

ICEE has conducted one-year PG Diploma on Environmental Management for academic session 2005-2006. It is planned to introduce new courses on environmental issues in future.

Capacity Building.

ICEE carried out.

• Training programme for capacity building for self-employment and enterpreneurship development of youths belonging to scheduled castes and schedule tribes in West Bengal on Floriculture, Orchard Management, Medicinal Plant Garden, Processing and Preservation of fruits and vegetables, Apiary, Aquaculture sponsored by DST, Govt. of India.
• Training programme to the fish farmers for enhancement of rural economy through dissemination of scientific knowledge of fish farming in South 24 Parganas, sponsored by ACTS, Bangalore.
• Development of Socio-economic status of the SC and ST Populations In Some Villages of West Bengal through Training and Extension of Integrated farming of Fish sponsored by Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India.

International Research
The Center has made remarkable strides in the field of research at International level. International collaborations are being established with different organizations such as GTZ, Germany, IEES, Switzerland, Halmstad University, Sweden, University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland.

MOUs :
MOU was signed between University of Kalyani and     International Ecological Engineering Society (IEES), Switzerland which was signed by the Registrar and Dr. Johannes Heeb on behalf of the University and IEES, Switzerland, respectively. Another MOU has been signed for collaborations of academic activities with ACTS, Bangalore and University of Kalyani.

Masters Dissertation :
During summer, 2006, three students from Halmstad University, Sweden worked in the center for their Masters thesis on the mechanism of wastewater reclamation in constructed wetlands.  In the second phase, two students from the University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland are now working for their project works in the ICEE on eco-sanitation evaluating fertilizer value of human urine in aquaculture.

Full Bright Fellowship
One Full bright Fellow from Washington, USA will work on improvement of macrophyte wastewater stabilization ponds in the Centre after clearance from the Govt. of India soon.  

Future Activities
The following projects are in the pipeline for implementation.

Proposals in pipeline

• Application of Ecosanitation For Developing An Eco-Campus In Kalyani University, West Bengal, India, submitted To GTZ, Germany.
• Conservation Of Tropical Wetlands For Poverty Alleviation Of The Millions In The State Of West Bengal, India  submitted To Halmstad University, Sweden.
• Fate and distribution of chemical contaminants in wastewater fed aquaculture ponds in West Bengal submitted to Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India.
• Dissemination Of Eco-Village Concept For Sustainable Development Through Community Participation submitted to Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India.
• Integrated approach of ecosan and poverty alleviation in West Bengal, India submitted to UNESCO.
• Water Conservation Through Reuse of Laboratory Used Uncontaminated Water For Production Of Medicinal Plants submitted to Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Govt. of India.
• Development of hatchery for ornamental fish breeding and rearing submitted to State Fisheries Department, Govt. of West Bengal.
• Capacity building, awareness programme, community sensitization  for  river restoration and sustainable  water resource management in the flood prone districts of West Bengal submitted to Ministry of Water Resource Management, Govt. of India.

Steering  Committee

Vice- Chancellor - Chairman

Registrar

Finance Officer

Professor G. K. Manna, FNA

Professor  B. B. Jana,  Coordinator

Dr. R. D. Banerjee

Professor A. Banerjee

Dr. P. Bandopadhyay

Dr. R.  N. Das, WBCADC, Calcutta.