NMMC plans to move Vashi Covid oxygen tanks to three civic hospitals

Three liquid medical oxygen tanks, each with a 13,000-litre capacity, have remained outside Vashi’s Cidco Exhibition and Convention Centre since the 1,200-bed Covid Care Centre there closed in August 2022.

The tanks, about seven metres long and two metres wide, are lying horizontally near the venue’s parking area, on a pathway and lawn. NMMC now plans to shift and recommission them at General Hospital, Vashi; Mother and Child Hospital, Belapur; and Mother and Child Hospital, Turbhe.

The civic body has floated a ₹42 lakh tender covering dismantling, transport, installation and commissioning. Reubens Hospitech Pvt Ltd emerged as the sole and lowest bidder after technical and financial evaluation on September 4, but the work order has not yet been awarded.

The tanks formed part of Navi Mumbai’s pandemic oxygen infrastructure, which had about 93 metric tonnes of liquid medical oxygen storage capacity, including 60 metric tonnes at the Vashi centre. At the pandemic peak, the city’s oxygen demand reached about 28 tonnes a day.

Before they can be used at the hospitals, the tanks and associated valves, piping, supports and components will need to meet technical and safety standards after years outdoors.