CHENNAI: The National Corrosion Council of India on Saturday called for data on corrosion map of India, a need for corrosion audit of all buildings and bridges besides making corrosion monitoring periodically on nuclear installations.
Prof K I Vasu, founder patron of the council and former director of Central Electrochemical Research Institute, Karaikudi, during the valedictory session of the 15th National Congress on Corrosion Control, stressed on the need for more funds to do research on corrosion.
He highlighted the need for data on corrosion the map of India. “Now only 50 centres are involved in the collection of data across India. But this is not enough.
We require 5,000 centres,” said the former scientist. “Before a bridge collapses or a nuclear plant explodes, we should monitor corrosion.
Building and bridges should have corrosion audit besides corrosion monitoring should be done periodically on nuclear installations,” he added.
He said now nuclear establishments are monitoring corrosion following the Karwar leak. “Now nuclear establishment has taken some steps to monitor corrosion in Koodankulam nuclear plant,” he said.
CECRI scientist Saravanan told Express that Koodankulam nuclear plant will have strain gauges to monitor corrosion by way of strain measurement. “The gauges are located all over the plant to monitor corrosion,” he said.
Union Shipping secretary K Mohandas stressed on the need for signing the International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling and said India may ratify it within a year.
Vice-chancellor of Indian Maritime University Dr P Vijayan said the country is losing `80,000 crore every year due to corrosion and said it is eroding our natural resources.