The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is set to procure a supply of nearly 31 lakh cubic meters of liquid medical oxygen (LMO) for the jumbo COVID-19 centres, in order to be oxygen sufficient for the probable third wave of coronavirus, reported the Times of India. This purchase is expected to cost the civic authority, almost Rs 60 cr.
This purchase is regarded as part of their oxygen management plan. According to the report, first, the focus was on constructing pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen plants since they can curate more than 1 metric tonne of oxygen. But these can only sustain wards and not ICUs that require high-pressure oxygen.
Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects), P Velrasu, based on the report elaborated that LMO tanks have been built, thus, with LMO and PSA, 600MT of oxygen per day can be generated in the city. This will ensure that an oxygen crisis doesn’t occur, adding that in the past six months, the civic authority has doubled its oxygen generating capacity.
The manufacturers of the approximately 400MT LMO or 31 lakh cubic meters will be required to keep oxygen accessible for 48 hours at all times and centres, along with providing more oxygen within 24 hours if the civic authority requests it, mentioned officials, through the report.
During the second wave, the civic authority had a momentary oxygen crisis. With only some patients at present, the island city requires almost 200MT oxygen every day. In April 2020, this number was more than 260-270MT.
The civic authority offered a Rs 205cr contract to build oxygen generation plants at 11 jumbo COVID-19 centres and field hospitals in August 2021. The amount was earlier set to be Rs 320cr but was reduced after allegations. Before this, it had offered a contract of Rs 84cr to build 16 PSA plants of civic-run hospitals, all of which together could provide nearly 48MT of oxygen, enabling wards to become self-sufficient.
Officials are also of the opinion that 200MT of LMO presently comes from private providers, that give it to the hospitals who keep it in 10-13 kilolitre tanks. The report mentions that after the first wave, 21 LMOs were built, the civic authority will then be adding four 13KL tanks at some of its jumbo centres. Two 40KL tanks are being imported to be set at other jumbo centres.
At Mahalaxmi, a refilling centre has been instituted, where on a daily basis 100 dura cylinders can be filled.
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