Mumbai Naval Dockyard develops UV disinfection system

Mumbai, May 29 (IANS) As India prepares for a 'new normal' amid COVID-19 pandemic, the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai has developed an ultra-violet sanitisation bay to meet the requirements of workers resuming work post-lockdown, an official said here on Friday.

The UV bay will be utilized for decontamination of coveralls, clothes, masks, personal gadgets, tools and other miscellaneous items, to control the spread of Covid-19.

After lockdown is lifted, large production organisations like dockyards or other naval establishments expect a sizeable number of workers to return to work, with the figures gradually increasing, and the UV bay would cater to that requirement.

The challenge was to convert a large common room into a UV bay by fabricating aluminium sheets electrical arrangements for the UV-C lighting.

The facility uses the UV-C light source for Germicidal Irradiation towards sterilizing items, said an official.

Studies by reputed research agencies have proved the effect of the UV-C light on respiratory pathogens like SARS, influenza, etc.

It has been observed that the microbial pathogens become significantly less viable when exposed to the UV-C of intensity 1J/cm2 for one minute or more, indicating effective sterilisation.

A similar facility has also come up at the Naval Station Karanja (Raigad) where besides the UV-C sterilizer, an industrial oven has also been placed which heats up smaller sized belongings to 60 C, a temperature known to kill most microbes.

The facility is placed at the entry/exit points where it will help in mitigating the Covid-19 transmission, the officials said.