Steel plants in India supplied 4,076 mt liquid medical oxygen

Steel companies in India from both public and private sectors have supplied a total of 4,076 metric tonne (mt) of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) for emergency medical use in the wake of the second wave of Covid-19. The Ministry of Steel informed the media that the LMO supply was 3,131.84 mt to various states on 25 April 2021. In mid-April, on average, 1,500-1,700 mt per day were being dispatched. Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL), one of the largest domestic steel producers, has been enhancing its capabilities to supply Liquid Medical Oxygen in the country. The daily delivery of LMO from its integrated steel plants situated at Bhilai (Chhattisgarh), Rourkela (Odisha), Bokaro (Jharkhand), Durgapur, and Burnpur (West Bengal) has been increased from a level of about 500 mt in the second week of April to more than 1100 mt per day currently. The company has so far supplied over 50,000 mt of LMO. In the month of April 2021, SAIL delivered more than 17,500 mt LMO to 15 states across the country, including the states in which the plants are located. As many as 14 ‘Oxygen Express’ trains carrying over 950 mt LMO have been loaded on 4 May 2021 for various parts of the county from SAIL plants at Bokaro, Rourkela, and Durgapur. SAIL plants have also received tankers, which have been airlifted and, after loading, have moved to their destinations by road and rail. The railways, air force, steel plants, and oxygen plants are coordinating the efforts of transporting the tankers. Indian Air Force has airlifted four cryogenic tankers from Perth, Australia. Image SourceAlso read: Steel firms supplied 1.43 lakh mt oxygen since Sept 2020 Also read: Steel plants to divert oxygen for emergency medical use