Your complete guide on Noida Supertech twin tower demolition — When, why and all about its aftermath

It took around 3,700 kgs of explosives, 10 men and 10 seconds for the Supertech twin towers in Noida to get crumbled down to dust and rubble on Sunday. The demolition of the nearly 100-metre tall towers took place on August 28. Taller than Delhi's Qutub Minar, these towers were India's highest structures ever to be demolished. Using the process of waterfall implosion, the buildings collapsed like a house of cards.

Preparations were in full swing with authorities and government entities facing numerous challenges ahead of demolition. Over the years, there has also been debate over the environmental impact of such massive demolitions and what could it mean for future builders.

The twin 40-storey towers (Apex and Ceyane) is located in Sector 93A of Noida, near the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway. There are over 900 flats in these two towers. They are part of Supertech's Emerald Court project in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Both towers together cover an area of around 7.5 lakh square feet.

The twin towers are scheduled for demolition at 2.30 pm on August 28.

The Supreme Court ordered the demolition observing that the twin towers were built in violation of norms. A petition was earlier filed by the Residents’ Welfare Association of Emerald Court Group Housing Society, claiming that the construction was in violation of the UP Apartments Act of 2010. It was also said that their construction violated the minimum distance requirement, News 18 reported.

Last year, the Supreme Court had ordered the demolition of the towers. Reports said they were built illegally without taking the consent of the individual flat owners as required under the UP Apartment Act, News 18 quoted the court as saying.

Mumbai-based Edifice Engineering and their South African partner firm Jet Demolitions will carry out the demolition of the Supertech Twin towers.

The buildings will be demolished using the implosion technique. Around 3,700 kg of explosives have been infused into the building.

According to project details, the Apex tower has 11 primary blast floors — where all columns on the floor will have explosives fixed and blasted — and seven secondary floors — where 60 per cent of the columns will be blasted. Ceyane has one less primary blast floor.

Noida: Buildings of a society near Supertech's 40-storey twin towers being covered ahead of the towers' scheduled demolition on Aug. 28, in Noida on August 23, 2022. (PTI Photo)

The eye-popping event will last for just about 15 seconds. "It will take nine to 10 seconds for all the explosives to blast in a series making a loud noise," Utkarsh Mehta, partner of demolition firm Edifice Engineering, was quoted by PTI as saying.

"After the blasts, the structures won't come down all at once and would take four to five seconds to come down completely," he said, adding that the time for dust dissipation is estimated to be 10 minutes.

The demolition of the twin towers is likely to cost nearly Rs 20 crore as it requires a lot of explosives, manpower and equipment, News 18 reported.

The demolition of the Apex (32 storey) and Ceyane (29 storey) is expected to leave behind approximately 35,000 cubic metres of debris, according to the estimates prepared by the project officials.

Also, the impact of the demolition of the nearly 100-metre tall twin towers would be maximum on two societies — Emerald Court and adjoining ATS Village — and its residents, the officials said.

Experts believe that while the demolition will lead to dust clouds and tonnes of debris, it is debated whether it will have any ever-lasting impact on the environment.

It is known that dust from demolition activities releases particles "that can cause both serious health problems ranging from eye irritation, nose, mouth and respiratory system". "The effects of air pollution might last for days and affect of people's health," said Abhhir Bhalla who featured in BBC's Top Youth Environmentalists.

However, R Nagendran, a professor of Environmental Science and Engineering at ACJ, and Enviro-legal consultant, said the environmental impact of the demolition "would be very very minimum" if authorities follow the SOP and carry out the job under "trained supervision".

"Under the controlled process, where SOP is employed, certified chemicals are used and well-trained supervision (is there), it is one of the safest methods of the demolition," he said.

Over 5,000 residents will vacate Emerald Court and ATS Village societies on August 28. The residents will have to vacate the premises by 7.30 am and can return after 4 pm only with safety clearance from the Edifice

Over 2,500 vehicles will be removed from society. The Noida Authority will provide space for them in the multilevel parking facility at the Botanical Garden metro station. The parking at the metro station can easily accommodate more than 5,000 vehicles at a time

Entry of people, vehicles and animals will be restricted in the close proximity area of the twin towers

The Noida-Greater Noida Expressway will remain shut for vehicular movement from 2.15 pm to 2.45 pm on August 28

Fire tenders and ambulances required for emergency services, shall be parked on the road constructed behind the park in front of the twin towers.

Around 50 beds have been reserved for residents in case they fall sick, at the Felix Hospital in Sector 137, including beds for 12 bedridden residents of Emerald Court, ET Now reported.

Only 10 workers will remain on the demolition site on August 28. These will include two Indian blasters and Edifice project manager Mayur Mehta and seven members of its South African expert partner Jet Demolition

Noida: Buildings of Emerald Court and ATS Village societies, near Supertech's 40-storey twin towers. (PTI Photo)

Moreover, the Noida Police also issued an order banning the use of drones in city skies from August 26 till August 31 citing security reasons in view of the demolition of Supertech's illegal towers.

"Drones will not be operated by any private person or institution from August 26 to 31. Violation of this order will be an offense punishable under IPC Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by government officials)," the order states.

It will be disposed of as per the Construction and Demolition. Waste Management Rules, 2016.

Around 1,200 to 1,300 truck-loads of debris would have to be moved out from the site. The Noida Authority has a construction and demolition waste management plant in Sector 80, with a capacity of 300 tonnes per day. However, considering the rubble that would be moved out, it is still not clear whether it would be processed there, news agency PTI reported.

According to officials, all the debris will not go to waste. Approximately 4,000 tonnes of iron and steel is likely to be yielded out of the demolition, which the Edifice plans to use to recover a part of the demolition cost.

For the protection of Emerald Court and ATS Village, both societies will also have geo-textile covering. About 225 tonnes of wired mesh made of galvanised iron and geo-textile in 110-km length would be used in the entire process.

Noida Authority's General Manager (Planning) Ishtiaq Ahmed was quoted by PTI as saying that 21,000 cubic metres of the debris would be dumped at an isolated land measuring five to six hectares. He said the remaining debris would get dumped in the basement areas of the twin towers where a pit has been made.

"The post demolition debris would be managed scientifically as per rules and guidelines. A final decision on it would come from the regional pollution control board which is examining a report from Edifice Engineering on debris management," Ahmed said.

The Supreme Court had earlier directed authorities to refund the entire amount of home buyers with 12 percent interest from the time of the booking. It also said the RWA of Emerald Court project must be paid Rs 2 crore for the harassment caused due to the construction of the twin towers.

According to the court's orders, investors and homebuyers who had put money into the Supertech Emerald Court Project were eligible to receive their money back along with 12 percent interest by January 17, 2022.

The homebuyers' apex body, FPCE, recently said the demolition of Supertech's twin towers should act as a deterrent for builders resorting to illegal construction. The FPCE President suggested that there should be a mechanism to let homebuyers know whether what they are buying is illegal or legal.