Why was India Running out of oxygen?

29

Sep

Prakshi Rawat

According to top officials and major industry leaders, the oxygen crisis during the second Covid wave was caused by a shortfall of tankers and the challenging logistics of transport from remote areas, not by a scarcity of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO), which is supplied in sufficient quantities.

According to official estimates, several companies produced 9,103 metric tons ( mt (MT) of Implied warranty on April 24, compared to the prior output of 7,259 MT. On the same day, LMO sales reached 7,017 MT.

Apart from specific suppliers like Kolkata-based Linde India and Mumbai-based Inox Air, which manufacture oxygen liquid plants for industrial and medicinal usage, the steel industry and oil refineries play a key role with captivity plants.

“There just aren't enough tanks to carry supplies. Other than a handful in the west, most of the plants are in eastern India. Long distances and a lot of turn - around time are involved. When you mix in the matter of municipalities impounding tankers along the road, you have a crisis,” a Linde spokesperson told

Officials confirmed that the trouble is over there. India currently has 1,224 oxygen tankers with a total capacity of 16,732 MT LMO. “This is wholly inadequate. At the moment, tankers response time is a minimum of 6-7 days. This means that our daily tanker capability is one-sixth of the total. If we just consider metal and refining delivery, we're talking approximately covering a need of 3,500-4,000 tons with only nearly 200 tankers,” a state oxygen delivery coordinating officer told

The official highlighted the government's issue by stating that cryogenic tankers cost roughly Rs 50 lakh each. “Why would a corporation acquire more tankers than it requires? That commitment will become a loss once this wave has subsided. As a result, it is the duty of the administration to arrange for tankers,” this source explained.

“The most significant barrier is a scarcity of cryogenic vessels. “By the end of this month, the Company will have purchased 36 cryogenic vessels,” said T V Consequential, chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII).

According to sources , the government is also considering getting the IOCL Cryogenics Plant in Mumbai to build 100 tankers, however deliveries will take "4-6 months." Twenty cryogenic trucks have been transported, according to the Union Health Ministry.

Cryogenic tankers get double air containers with a carbon steel inner vessel for transporting clinical oxygen at -180 degrees C. Insulant occupies the area between the inner and outer vessels.

“In the before covid era, a tanker had to replace medical oxygen stock at a hospital on the weekly basis , but now that facility wants supplies every day,”

The Centre authorized commercial oxygen to be transferred for medical use and the Railways created an Oxygen Express train to deliver tankers. The IAF has also been called upon to transport empty tankers from Dubai, Bangkok, and Singapore

However, there are limitations. The need that the tankers be of a specified type to pass through tunnels and underneath station canopy has delayed the Railways' attempts. Only 26 tankers carrying approximately 450 MT have already been transported since the first Oxygen Express left Mumbai – around a dozen trucks are currently in operation.

Other initiatives include forcing states to restrict the use of oxygen liquid plants in any industry save pharma and war, as well as the implementation of location tracking devices on automobiles transporting oxygen, and map oxygen sources for high-burden states to insure rapid supply.