Kerala has sought additional oxygen supply as its capacity is about half of the likely demand, and fears that supply may be hit by possible disruption in electricity supply and road transport because of stormy weather.
The weather office has forecast heavy rain and strong wind blowing at 60-70 km per hour in parts of the state on May 14-15 because of a cyclone that is developing over Lakshadweep and forecast to move towards the Gujarat coast. It is not expected to strike Kerala but it will influence the state’s weather.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has flagged his concerns about oxygen supply in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Centre has increased the allotment to 358 metric tonnes per day (MTPD) from 223 tonnes from May 15 onwards. Oxygen demand in the state, which once boasted of a surplus, is rising in step with COVID-19 cases.
The state is concerned that its requirement of medical oxygen may increase to 423.6 metric tonnes per day (MTPD) in the next three days, almost double its current capacity of 212.3 MTPD, the letter said.
Kerala was also supplying oxygen to nearby states like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The additional allotment to Kerala will come from Linde Bellary (25 MT), Inox Kanjikode (30 MT), Linde Jamshedpur (30 MT) and SAIL Rourkela (50 MT). Other than this, the Centre has allotted a one-time dispensation of 100 tonnes from SAIL Burnpur that will go to the state’s buffer stock.
On May 7, Moneycontrol had reported that the oxygen surplus state is likely to see a major crisis in health sector as its oxygen demand is set to skyrocket by May 15. The state had demanded at least 1,000 MT of imported liquid medical oxygen from the Centre.
The weather office has forecast that a low-pressure area over Lakshwadweep is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm on May 15 and move towards Gujarat. While it is not expected to hit Kerala, it would cause very heavy rainfall in some parts of the state, it said.
Raising concerns about the cyclone, Vijayan said in his letter, “It is anticipated that there may be disruptions in electricity supply to oxygen generation plants and filling stations. There can also be disruptions in road transport which would impede timely oxygen supply necessary to save precious lives.” On May 13, Kerala recorded 39,955 new Covid cases, while 97 people lost their lives. What is even more alarming is the high test positivity rate of 28.61 per cent in the state.
Indicating the rise in oxygen demand, Vijayan said, “Based on scientific projections, the total daily oxygen requirement for medical purposes in Kerala could rapidly rise to 423.6 MTPD in the next three days.” At present, the storage of oxygen in hospitals is for less than 24 hours.
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