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WORLD / NATIONAL: WORLD RECORD SPORTS : Sibling Sisters, 10-year old Ovee Malve and Ruchi Malve from Bengaluru become World’s Youngest Certified Scuba Diver Sisters

Their interest in scuba diving stemmed from those videos and they started swimming and later training for scuba diving.

A day after turning 10, Bengaluru-based Ovee Malve set a world record of becoming the youngest certified scuba diver.

With this, both Ovee and her sister Ruchi, daughters of Bangalore Mountaineering Club founder Neeraj Malve, have become the youngest certified scuba diver siblings in the world. Neeraj himself has been a scuba diver for 16 years now. Ovee achieved the feat in Puducherry at 7.18 am on October 11, becoming the youngest Professional Association of Diving Instructors-certified open water diver. 

Elated and proud, Neeraj said he understands that adventure sports are not easy, especially at a young age. He never pressured his children and ensured that they underwent proper training. The daughters were water babies since they were little and were fascinated with his scuba diving videos.

Their interest in scuba diving stemmed from those videos and they started swimming and later training for scuba diving, he said. Ovee enrolled for a junior open water diver course at Temple Adventures, Puducherry and trained under coach Shreya Mehta. 

Her sister Ruchi (14) trained under Shaurya Tarni of Dive Goa in Goa. Ruchi enrolled for the Junior Open Water Diver certification course on October 27, 2022 and received the Scuba Schools International certificate on October 30, 2022. At the age of 10 and 13, both Malve sisters have become the world’s youngest scuba diver sisters.

Previously, a Mumbai-based boy, Dwit Nandu, at age 10 set the world record around 8 am on August 25, 2023.

Both the sisters underwent two-day rigorous training which included a 200-metre nonstop swimming and floating for 10 minutes without any support. 

They studied five chapters of theory about performing underwater skills in confined waters, passed a written exam and successfully performed four dives in open water up to 18-metre depth to earn their open water diver certification.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY / HEALTH & MEDICAL SERVICES: IIT Madras develops Steam-based method to Sterilise Medical Equipment

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras have developed a solar-thermal steam-based system that can help sterilise medical equipment in remote and rural areas, where access to electricity and water could be an issue.

The project, funded by the Department of Science and Technology, uses portable steam cylinders charged by renewable energy-based stations (like solar energy) that are placed strategically in rural areas for power generation, steam generation and other uses.

The team also designed special sterilisation chambers to utilise such portably stored steam and effectively sterilise the tools.

“A portable steam storage canister can be a great contribution by facilitating minor medical interventions in the developing world by sterilising surgical instruments and combating infections in rural areas,” said Prof. Sathyan Subbiah, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Madras, in a statement.

“The portable canister is developed with multi-layer insulation, which can retain useful heat of steam, generated via solar plants for longer duration thus making it a viable option to sterilise equipment in remote areas. The steam that is produced in the solar plant or any other means can be stored in the portable canister which can be transported to remote locations to carry out the sterilisation activities,” he added.

Safe sterilisation of surgical instruments and other medical tools are important aspects in the health care sector. It involves cleaning and disinfecting the previously-used contaminated surgical tools before subsequent use. Steam sterilisation is one of the best disinfecting methods.

Currently, doctors carry with them a set of sterilised tools, which limits the number of patients they can see at the camp.

The project was demonstrated during a medical camp at IIT Madras campus on October 14, and is all set for further trials, following which it is intended to be deployed in the field.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)