Mumbai is racing to get oxygen-ready

A man with an oxygen cylinder on April 18, when the second wave was at its peak. Pic/AFP

Mumbai's struggle with oxygen during the second wave of COVID has spurred the BMC to fast-track work on oxygen plants. By next month, it aims to raise the city's medical oxygen production capacity from 3 metric tonnes a day to 178 MT, said officials. At present, plants with a combined capacity of 55 MT are ready. Mumbai's oxygen requirement is 235 MT a day if all oxygen and ICU beds are occupied.

BMC has also raised oxygen storage capacity to 600 MT.

An ambulance takes patients out of Bhagwati hospital at Borivli during an oxygen shortage. File pic/Satej Shinde

Though the need for a steady supply of oxygen was felt during the first wave, several hospitals pressed the panic button during the second wave with the number of patients with lung infections ballooning. On the night of April 17, the corporation had to shift 168 patients from six municipal hospitals to other centres over lack of oxygen.

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Learning from the experience, it decided to spend Rs 360 crore to create capacity and become self-sufficient on medical oxygen. Officials said the BMC has already built nine new plants with a combined capacity of 42 MT tonnes of oxygen a day by spending R90 crore. An additional 13 MT plant has been set up under corporate social responsibility at many peripheral hospitals. Also, 55 MT of refilling capacity will be ready at Mahul and Mahalaxmi.

A staffer with an oxygen cylinder at a COVID centre in city. File/AFP

Until the BMC stepped on the gas to ramp up medical oxygen capacity, the city had just two plants - at HBT Trauma Hospital at Jogeshwari (2.26 MT) and Kasturba Hospital (1.04 MT).

"Nine new plants along with two existing plants are already installed. Plants with a capacity of 55.5 MT are already created and other plants with a capacity of 119.2 MT are in pipeline," said P Velarasu, additional commissioner of the BMC who is in charge of the project department. All the jumbo centres will have bigger plants as each of them has 1,500 to 2,000 beds.

Oxygen plant at Kasturba hospital

Officials said these plants will trap atmospheric oxygen. The cost of oxygen per cubic metre produced at these plants will be equal to liquid medical oxygen. The plants can be operated for a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years.

"All the oxygen plants will run on pressure swing absorption [PSA] technology. The city needs 235 MT of oxygen per day if all the beds are occupied. We are planning another cylinder refilling plant of 40 MT capacity at Mahalaxmi under CSR initiative in addition to existing dura cylinder refilling plant of Mahalaxmi," said Suresh Kakani, additional commissioner of the BMC.

He added that there are total 85 plants (including multiple plants at a single hospital) planned under CSR or funds from the state and BMC. Out of which 34 installed and operational and 41 will be installed by September 30.

Easing of curbs to depend on oxygen availability: CM

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in the state will be based on the availability of oxygen and it was "up to the people to prevent or invite a 'third wave' of the pandemic".

Inaugurating a virtual medical conference, Thackeray asked political parties to refrain from indulging in politics and demanding reopening of places where crowds cannot be avoided.

"At present, our [state's] daily oxygen production is around 1,200 to 1,300 metric tonnes which is used for industrial as well as medical purposes. In the second wave the requirement for medical purposes increased to 1,700 to 1,800 MT daily,," he said.

The CM said he has asked authorities to up production to 3,000 metric tonnes. "But, that will take time. We may not get enough oxygen from other states if the number of cases there increases."