Coronavirus Lockdown: Tackling trauma with an affordable tunnel

Coronavirus has rocked the entire globe. While some are struggling for food and amenities, some others are working day in and day out to find novel ways to come out of the trauma.

As Albert Einstein once said, “In the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunity’’. Here is a story of four bio-tech engineers from Tumakuru, who have successfully designed a disinfectant tunnel in a cost-effective manner.

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“We thought of doing something to safeguard the vendors in our markets and designed a disinfectant tunnel. As the existing design was expensive, it occurred to us that we can produce a cost-effective tunnel by using PVC pipes and Nasals that are used by farmers to spray pesticides. Our tunnel costs only Rs 45,000, whereas the usual one costs Rs 1,50,000,’’ said Purushottama, the designer.

Also Read: Coronavirus India update: State-wise total number of confirmed cases, deaths

Tumakuru Mayor Fareeda Begum said, “Keeping in mind the significance of disinfectant tunnels, we have installed the unique tunnel in our market, designed and prepared by these young engineers."

The mayor also appreciated the efforts of the engineers for their innovation.

“We are using Sodium hypochlorite and Bio solvent Shuddhi, approved by CFTRI, Mysuru, which are proved to be very effective in curbing the spread of the virus,’’ said Chidananda H N, a team member.

“The tunnel was produced in a very short period of just two days. Moreover, the chemical spray is skin-friendly and does not harm humans,’’ said Prof Shadakshara Murthy, Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, SIT.

Vinay M R and Akshay N are the other two engineers. The team can be contacted at: [phone].