Noida uses drones, disinfectant tunnels to contain coronavirus spread

People other than the authority’s employees can also use the disinfectant tunnels, said officials. The authority plans to install five more disinfectant tunnels in the city.

The Noida authority is using disinfectant tunnels to ensure that its staff members, who are engaged in providing essential services to the public, are sanitised properly. In order to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), the authority has also started using drones to spray sanitising solution over densely populated hot spots in the city.

The Noida authority has plans to continue disinfecting hot spots with drones for at least the next three or four days until these areas are sanitised thoroughly. (Biplov Bhuyan/HT file photo)

On Wednesday, the authority installed two disinfectant tunnels—one at its Sector 39 office and other at its main administrative building in Sector 6—to disinfect its employees, who are working on providing all essential supplies such as milk, grocery, fruits, vegetables to the residents and food to those in need amid the 21-day nationwide lockdown.

People other than the authority’s employees can also use the disinfectant tunnels, said officials. The authority plans to install five more disinfectant tunnels in the city. The authority uses sodium hypochlorite solution in these tunnels that take over 30 seconds to disinfect a person who walks in it, said, officials.

“We use anti-bacterial solution spray in the tunnel. In 30 seconds, it will kill all germs, bacteria and also help in containing the virus. Now, our employees will pass through these two tunnels before entering the office premises,” said Ritu Maheshwari chief executive officer, Noida authority.

Apart from the tunnels, the authority is using drones to spray sodium hypochlorite solutions on some hot spots, which are sealed till April 15 in order to contain the spread of Covid-19, officials said.

“We are using drones to disinfect those hot spots which are densely populated. We are using the drones to disinfect clusters in sectors 5, 8, 9 and 10,” Maheshwari said.

The authority has plans to continue disinfecting hot spots with drones for at least the next three or four days until these areas are sanitised thoroughly. The administration and health department has taken at least 200 people in the slum cluster of Sector 5 to a quarantine facility after they came in contact with a Covid-19 positive family.