Supertech Twin Tower Demolition to Create 300 Metres of Dust Cloud; How Will it Affect Delhi, Noida?

Supertech Twin Tower Demolition: Supertech’s twin towers in Uttar Pradesh’s Noida were demolished at 2.30 pm on Sunday, August 28. While the Supertech twin tower demolition has been an engineering marvel to witness for the citizens of India, experts are worried about the possible pollution the action can create. The biggest concern of the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) is the dust and debris that will be created due to the implosion of the 40-storey buildings that are taller than Delhi’s Qutub Minar.

The razing of the Apex and Ceyane towers would leave behind a whopping 42,000 cubic metres of debris, News18 has learnt. The debris will fill up around the tower and a large part of it would be accommodated in the basement. The remaining would be moved out to an isolated location within Noida and processed scientifically, as per officials. Some of the debris will also fall on the road near the tower.

Meanwhile, 4000 tonnes of iron will be produced due to the demolition of the Noida twin towers, and Edifice will recover the cost by selling it. It will take 90 days to clear the debris, while trucks will make 1,300 rounds to carry them.

But where will the dust go?

“It is a very large scale demolition. But I don’t think there will be any lasting impacts. I doubt it. Maybe at the most for a week or so, the levels of dust would be elevated,” Dr Sachchida Nand Tripathi, a Senior Professor of Civil Engineering at IIT Kanpur who has done extensive work on air pollution, told The Quint. “Since it is the demolition of largely concrete, it is mostly dust that will come out. It will settle down fast and using water sprinklers etc would help.”

Fire tenders, water sprinklers and other personnel will be deployed to keep the dust at bay, as per the Noida twin tower demolition plan. The authorities have also installed a cloth net of jio fibre on each floor of the two buildings to keep the debris from occupying a large area, while 30 feet high iron wall is also being erected around the Supertech twin towers for the same.

“Winds will blow from NW on Sunday August 28, at the time of Twin Tower Demolition. Dust may travel to UP initially but may change direction on 29 (August) blow from east. Threat to Delhi. Relief in sight as rain on 29 (August) can wash away pollution,” Mahesh Palawat, Vice-President of Skymet, a private weather forecasting agency, has said in a tweet.

The Noida Authority will share the air quality details of the residents of neighbouring societies to help them with dealing with the situation regarding pollution.

“Residents have raised concerns about the dust cloud and air pollution in the area after demolition. Monitoring devices are being installed near the towers and its data will be shared with residents,” Noida Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari told the Times of India.

Meanwhile, the Airports Authority of India and the Indian Air Force have been alerted about the cloud of dust that is likely to reach 300 metres above ground level and may take 10-15 minutes to settle. They have also been urged to take precautionary measures, The Indian Express reported.

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