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MCG to discontinue use of sanitisation tunnels, advises citizens not to install devices
Gurugram: The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) on Tuesday issued instructions to its health department to discontinue the use of ‘sanitisation tunnels’, set
Gurugram: The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) on Tuesday issued instructions to its health department to discontinue the use of ‘sanitisation tunnels’, set up at the Civil Hospital in Sector 10, ESI Hospital in Sector 9, and at Vikas Sadan. At least one condominium in the city, and one automobile manufacturing facility in Manesar, had also installed such devices, and will have to discontinue their use, an MCG official said.
The city’s first disinfection tunnel, at the Sector 10 Civil Hospital, became operational on April 8. At the time, the MCG’s official handle had tweeted, “The tunnel sprays a diluted Sodium Hypochlorite solution on the person walking through it, thereby considerably reducing the number of germs on the individual.”
However, a reading of available, scientific literature on the subject shows that there is little evidence to support this claim. Even the World Health Organization (WHO), in an advisory, stated, “Spraying alcohol or chlorine all over your body will not kill viruses that have already entered your body. Spraying such substances can be harmful to clothes or mucous membranes.”
Sodium hypochlorite, a key ingredient in bleach, is only effective as a surface disinfectant, said multiple doctors who spoke to Hindustan Times.
With this in mind, states including Punjab and Tamil Nadu (which was the first to resort to their use) have also issued orders calling for a withdrawal of the technology. In New Delhi, AIIMS, which had installed a disinfection tunnel developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on a trial basis, also discontinued its use starting April 13.
HT also spoke to a doctor at Civil Hospital who, requesting anonymity, said, “We were made to compulsorily walk through the tunnel while entering and exiting the premises, without any personal protective equipment (PPE), on multiple days. While I have not felt any major side-effects, I experienced lasting skin irritation. We have raised the issue with the health department. It is good news that they will not use the devices anymore.”
BluRain, a Gurugram-based landscape water solution company, has been in discussions with hospitals, offices, schools and hotels to install such devices. The company’s technical head, Pawan Sharma, said, “In the first three or four days, we must have received around 20-21 enquiries from factories, especially in the automotive sector, as well as government institutions and residential societies for purchase of the tunnels.”
Vinay Pratap Singh, commissioner, MCG, said on Tuesday, “We have been receiving lot of queries from RWAs regarding disinfection tunnels. MCG had also experimented with them a week back, but now the WHO has issued an advisory discouraging the installation of disinfection tunnels, as they may cause more harm than good. MCG also recommends that disinfection tunnels should NOT be installed in condominiums/sectors/colonies/offices/commercial complexes/market etc.”
