CSIR's IMMT develops foot-operated wash basins, to be installed in Mumbai's Dharavi

In the time of coronavirus crisis, CSIR's Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, which is known for research on minerals, has come up with foot-operated wash basins that will be installed in Mumbai's Dharavi -- a densely-populated slum area which has so far reported 189 cases of the infection.

These wash basins are such that users do not have to use their hands to get water or soap, thus helping in minimising the chance of coronavirus spread.

"An important contribution from @csirimmt towards #CSIRFightsCovid19 by developing hands free washing stations which will be deployed at Dharavi, Mumbai (sic)," the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), a department under the Ministry of Science and Technology, tweeted.

Guidelines issued by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser earlier this month, had specifically recommended foot-operated wash basins for Dharavi.

Known to be the biggest slum in Asia, Dharavi in north-central Mumbai is one of the major coronavirus hotspots. Until Wednesday, the densely populated slum in Mumbai had 189 COVID-19 cases with 12 deaths. Mumbai alone has reported 3,754 cases so far.

Designed by IMMT scientist P C Deuria and technical officer R K Mondal the foot-operated machine has pedals. Pressing one will dispense soap, while another will release water, director of the Bhubaneshwar-based institute Suddhasatwa Basu said.

"With no hand contact, this will help in curbing contamination," Basu told PTI, adding they will hand it over mostly to the Brihnamumbai Municipal Corporation. He said they installed the wash basin at the institute's gate on the very first day of the lockdown.

"We then developed it further. From mild steel, we made changes and used stainless steel. Changes were also made in faucets that dispensed less water but with effective flow," Basu said.

The challenge was to produce it in mass quantity.

With the lockdown in force, no raw material was available. They then approached the Medium and Small and Micro Enterprises in Bhubaneshwar, especially those who deal in building metals doors and windows and roped them to manufacture it.

The foot-operated wash basins were also given to local authorities in Bhubaneshwar, Basu said.