Coronavirus: Sindh seeks power companies’ help for oxygen production

Sindh government has said that it wants power companies to produce oxygen that can be used for coronavirus treatment. It said that a sample manufactured by Jamshoro power company was termed suitable for medical use by the Islamabad-based Pakistan Council of Scientific & Industrial Research.

Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah chaired a meeting today in Karachi, which was attended by Sindh government officials and CEO Jamshoro Company Syed Tanveer Jafri.

He said that Sindh has successfully got the sample tested, and asked power companies to help the government with the same.
Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab said in a press conference today that they are in talks with Guddu power plant management to explore the same. The plant needs to be assessed for whether it has the technology to manufacture oxygen, he said. “This way, Balochistan and South Punjab can also be catered to.”
“Sindh has set a good example. The federal government should replicate this,” he said.
The government is also looking to utilise a Karachi Electric plant located at Bin Qasim. Sindh CM has told government officials to engage with KE officials to see if they have the equipment to produce oxygen. “Oxygen gets wasted otherwise, it is released into the atmosphere by plants,” he said.

This is a low-cost, efficient and locally available method to produce oxygen and deal with any dangerous situation if coronavirus cases rise, he said.

NCOC should have continued with SOPs

Wahab also spoke about coronavirus SOPs implemented by the federal government’s NCOC, and said it should not have relaxed them just yet. They should have monitored rise in the cases for some more time, he said.