The Indian Navy has set up an Ultraviolet(UV) sanitisation Bay at the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai to decontaminate the coveralls, tools, personal gadgets, masks, cloths and other items of the workers who will resume their works after the lock down in the Dockyards and other naval establishments to control the spread of COVID-19.
UV Sanitisation Bay:
i.The large common rooms are converted into the UV sanitisation Bay by fabricating aluminium sheets, electrical arrangements for UV-C lightings for Germicidal Irradiation to sterilise the items.
Why UV-C?:
i.UV-C (wavelength range 200nm to 280nm) is useful for disinfection and no measurable amount of UV-C reaches earth from the sun. The UV-C demonstrates significant germicidal properties because of the spectral sensitivity of DNA.
ii.UV-C used is proven to affect respiratory pathogens like SARS, Influenza etc. through studies by research agencies.
iii.It is observed that exposing under UV-C of intensity 1J/cm2(Joule per centimetre square) for 1 min or more the pathogens become less viable indicating effective sterilisation.
Key Points:
i.In the Naval station of Karanja, Maharashtra a similar UV sanitisation bay is established in addition to an industrial oven to sanitise the small equipment and items at 60 degree celsius(a temperature to kill most microbes).
ii.The Sanitisation facilities are placed at both the entry and exit points to control the transmission of coronavirus.
About Ministry of Defence:
The Defence department under the Government of East India Company became the Ministry of Defence under the Cabinet Minister in August 1947 after Independence.
Defence Minister- Rajnath Singh
Minister of State– Shripad Yesso Naik
About Indian Navy:
The Royal Indian Marine was constituted in 1892 and renamed as Royal Indian Navy in 1934 and after India became a Republic on 26th January 1950 the Prefix Royal was dropped and reinstated as Indian Navy.
Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS)- Admiral Karambir Singh
