Kohima Science College to the rescue

Our Correspondent
Jotsoma, March 17 (EMN): In Kohima district, it was the students of Kohima Science College (KSC), Jotosma, who have come to the rescue even as citizens continue to face acute shortage of hand sanitisers in the market.

Recently, social media posts showing the students of KSC ‘producing hand sanitisers’ had gone viral; the Task Force for Music and Arts (TaFMA) in RCEMPA, Jotsoma announcing that it was the recipient of the first bottle “for immediate use”.

On Tuesday, the principal of Kohima Science College, Dr. Lily Sema, told a group of journalists: “Actually, when the government order came out that all departments and offices should keep hand sanitisers in the biometric (facility), the department of Chemistry (of KSC) came up with this solution: hand sanitisers for our college and employees.”

“After we made it for our use, we had sent it to our neighbours like RCEMPA and Dordhashan. After that, I think it had gone to social media and now even Naga Hospital, it is requesting us to make for them,” stated the principal.

Sema maintained that ‘the college would be happy to be in the service of the people in such a crucial time’. 

Sharing about the initiative, Dr. T Tiakaba Jamir, an assistant professor of Chemistry at KSC, said that the scarcity of hand sanitisers had let him and his colleagues along with three of his students—who are in fourth semester, M. Sc. (Chemistry)—to get creative.

Jamir shared the components and formula for the preparation of hand sanitisers; isopropyl (76%), hydrogen peroxide (3%), aloe vera/glycerine (1.5%), distilled water (80%).

“I’m sure this will be much more effective than what is available in the market; of course, commercially we can add some fragrance for aroma but here we are not using that much,” maintained the chemistry professor.

Another assistant professor of Chemistry, Dr. Daniel Kibami informed that they had started producing on March 13. “In large scale, we have just started today and we have prepared around 19 litres of hand sanitisers (as of 1 pm, Tuesday).”

It was informed that the departments of Botany and Zoology have also been told to start producing the same on Tuesday.

According to the college authorities, the product was per the World Health Organisation (WHO) specification of 76 % alcohol content.

Meanwhile, the minister for Higher and Technical Education and Tribal Affairs, Temjen Imna Along tweeted; “Hand sanitisers are getting out of stock, the students of Kohima Science College are doing a tremendous job preparing litres of hand sanitisers at their laboratory for the people. God bless their enthusiasm and the efforts they are putting in protecting society.”

Later in the evening, a press release from the managing director of Naga Hospital Authority Kohima, Dr. Thorhusie Katiry stated that it has received hand sanitisers prepared “as per WHO specification” by the students of KSC.

According to the statement, KSC faculty led by the principal had handed over 15 litres of hand sanitisers to the hospital authorities.