Supertech twin towers debris may fill at least 1,000 of India's largest trucks

The demolition of Noida Supertech Towers on Sunday left behind a huge pile of rubble which is expected to be cleared in the next three months. Officials said the demolition conducted by the waterfall implosion technique left an estimated 35,000 cubic metres or 55,000 tonnes to 80,000 tonnes of debris. This includes concrete rubble, steel and iron bars.

At least 1,000 best trucks, the capacity of which has been capped at 55 tonnes, would be required to carry the debris out of the area.

On Monday morning, visuals of the spot where the twin tower once stood high showed authorities carrying out a cleaning drive outside various housing societies. On Sunday also, staff was busy cleaning the area, which had been covered under a thick layer of dust following the demolition.

Green garbage caused due to twin tower demolition was cleared from various areas. Washing, sweeping and other cleaning activities are ongoing, Ritu Maheshwari, CEO, Noida Authority, tweeted.

Water sprays were also used to clean up nearby trees. "Water was being sprinkled on trees and plants in the two societies and nearby areas that got covered by dust in the wake of the demolition, while roads were also being washed," she said.

A cloud of dust had engulfed the area after Sunday's demolition of the Supertech Twin Towers in Noida.

According to reports, some residents of the adjoining Supertech Emerald Court Society returned to their residents hours after the demolition of the twin towers.

"While scores of residents of Emerald Court and ATS Village societies in Sector 93A returned Sunday night, many others continued their journey back home Monday, Maheshwari said.

Around 5,000 residents of the two societies closest to the twin towers were evacuated ahead of the implosion that brought down the towers. They were allowed to return from 7 pm onwards Sunday after safety clearance from an inspection team that included officials of Edifice Engineering, Jet Demolitions, CBRI and Noida Authority.

Gas and electricity supply was also restored in the adjoining building, Ritu Maheshwari said on Sunday when the twin towers were demolished.

Ritu Maheshwari had said on Sunday that 10 metres boundary wall of a nearby society, ATS, had been damaged after being hit by the debris. "No information of damage from anywhere other that this has been received," she said.

"Broadly, no damage has been caused to nearby housing societies. Only some bit of debris has come towards the road," she had said. However, according to a Times of India report, the glasses of tower 6A, ATS Village, got damaged after demolition.

The air quality in Noida was "moderate", as per the data by Safar. The PM 2.5 concentration was at 63, while that of PM 10 was at 135 as of 1 pm on Monday. The situation was similar in parts of Delhi as well. The overall Air Quality of India (AQI) was recorded at 121.

Earlier on Sunday, the official had said that pre and post-demolition AQI data was "almost the same".

The builders paid for the demolition, which cost about Rs 20 crore. According to the company, their overall loss is around Rs 500 crore - including land, construction and interest costs.

The Supertech towers in Sector 93A of Noida were brought to earth in just 10 seconds. The Apex (32 floors) and Ceyane (29 floors) towers have been under construction since 2009 within the Supertech Emerald Court housing society in Noida. They were the tallest structures to be demolished in India.

Just after 2.30 pm, the floors of the twin towers collapsed onto each other in a stack that then sat amid other complexes in the area. As the doomed buildings went down, a cloud of dust rose to obscure the doomed towers' very final moments.

The Supreme Court had ordered the demolition on August 31, 2021, upholding a verdict by the Allahabad High Court. It held that illegal construction has to be dealt with strictly to ensure compliance with the rule of law.