Maharashtra: Month-end target for districts to set up proposed oxygen plants

PUNE: The public health department has told all districts to set up the proposed oxygen plants by the end of July and ramp up infrastructure for the supply of the gas essential for Covid patients’ treatment.

As many as 346 liquid medical oxygen plants were proposed, of which 214 are so far completed. On the other hand, 422 of the proposed 530 pressure swing absorption oxygen plants were yet to be completed, a public health department official said.

Maharashtra has set a target of 3,000 metric tonnes supply with all these additional plants ahead of a possible third wave of the pandemic. Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has directed all districts to be prepared in terms of oxygen supply ahead of July 31.

Currently, Maharashtra’s daily medical oxygen production capacity is 1,300 tonnes. During the peak of the Covid pandemic’s second wave, the demand for oxygen had shot up to 1,800 tonnes per day. Maharashtra had to reach out to Gujarat and Odisha for the supply of liquid medical oxygen then.