New Delhi, May 27 (PTI) An N95 mask and PPE disinfection system, developed by Mumbai-based startup Indra Water, has been installed at multiple government hospitals in Maharashtra and Telangana, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) said on Thursday.

The disinfection system, called Vajra Kavach, will help in significantly cutting the cost of combating the pandemic by making PPE, medical and non-medical gears reusable. It would also reduce the generation of excessive covid-related bio-medical waste, thereby helping the environment, it said.

It is also making personal protective equipment (PPE) more affordable and accessible, the DST said.

The product uses a multi-stage disinfection process with advanced oxidation, corona discharge and UV-C light spectrum to inactivate viruses, bacteria and other microbial strains present on the PPE with more than 99.99 per cent efficiency, it said.

Indra Water, the startup which was initiated with the NIDHI-PRAYAS grant from DST (through SINE-IIT Bombay) for innovations in the water sector, used the Centre for Augmenting WAR with COVID-19 Health Crisis (CAWACH) grant to modify their technology and make it suitable for combating COVID-19.

The system has been validated and tested by the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering at IIT Bombay, it added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)