After Noida twin tower demolition, debris management starts

A controlled implosion was used to demolish the 32-storey Apex and 29-storey Ceyanne towers in Supertech’s Emerald Court society, capping a nearly 10-year-long legal battle, waged by the residents of the society

The process to remove nearly 30,000 tonnes of debris from the demolition of the two Supertech towers in Noida began on Sunday with eight trucks carrying nearly 180 tonnes of waste away from the site in Noida Sector 93A, officials of the agency carrying out the work said on Sunday.

Debris clearance work underway at the site of the demolished twin towers of Supertech, in Noida. (PTI)

Edifice Engineering, which was also involved in the demolition of the two towers, said they are expected to remove the pile of debris in the next three months.

A controlled implosion was used to demolish the 32-storey Apex and 29-storey Ceyanne towers in Supertech’s Emerald Court society, capping a nearly 10-year-long legal battle, waged by the residents of the society. In its demolition order, the Supreme Court on August 31 last year observed that Supertech built the two buildings in contravention of building by-laws, with the “nefarious complicity” of Noida authority officials.

A total of 80,000 tonnes of debris was left after the two towers were razed. While 30,0000 tonnes of debris and 4,000 tonnes of iron and steel will be removed from the site, the remaining will be left there to level the ground.

“Around eight trucks carrying 23 tonnes load each were pressed into service on the first day. So, over 180 tonnes of debris that have been broken into small pellets was sent to the construction and demolition debris recycling plant in Noida -- located about 10 kilometres from the site. The process of breaking and transporting the debris will now be scientifically carried out regularly and will be processed at the plant,” said Mayur Mehta, pproject manager, Edifice Engineering.

Earlier, Edifice had proposed that an agricultural plot be used as a landfill site for the debris, but the suggestion had been rejected due to a land dispute. Edifice will also retrieve over 4000 tonnes of iron and steel bars from the debris and claim its value in the market, recovering a portion of its demolition cost.

After residents raised concerns over dust and noise pollution at a meeting last week, the company has also deployed additional sprinklers. Mehta said that there are four sprinklers at the site and three more will be added soon. Additionally, manual sprinkling of water on the debris is also being done.

The Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), the expert agency appointed by the apex court to monitor the demolition process, had suggested that noise levels be checked at the site and the number of machines should be reduced, if required. Edifice officials said that noise pollution has also been monitored during the removal of debris, and added that the report has been submitted to CBRI.

“We checked noise levels at eight locations with varying levels of noise. First we monitored ambient noise with all machines shut and all work stopped, and the levels were 60-65 db. The highest level recorded with all eight machines on and regular clearing work going on was recorded at 89db,” said Mehta.

According to ambient standards for noise, the permissible sound limit during daytime in industrial areas is 75 decibels, while it is 65 db in commercial areas, 55 db in residential areas and 50 db in silence zones. However, officials from Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board say that most residential areas usually have noise levels over 60 db in Noida, owing to the increasing traffic in the city.