Noida Twin Tower demolition: Evacuation plan for residents, safety arrangements, cost of implosion

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Aug 26: As the D-Day of Supertech illegal twin towers in Noida’s Sector 93A which will be razed down to dirt and debris draws closer, let us give you a comprehensive guide to help you understand the how the demolition will take case, the precautionary measures in line, and the consequences:

Where is it located?

Sector 93A in Noida, close to the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway, is where the twin 40-story towers Apex and Ceyane are situated. Within these two towers are over 900 apartments. They are a component of the Noida, Uttar Pradesh-based Supertech project Emerald Court. A total of about 7.5 lakh square feet is occupied by the two towers.

Who will conduct the demolition?

The Supertech Twin buildings will be demolished by the Mumbai-based Edifice Engineering and its South African associate company, Jet Demolitions. The final review of preparations for razing twin towers was done on Thursday, setting the stage for their demolition at 2.30 pm on August 28. Taller than Delhi’s Qutub Minar, it will become India’s tallest structures to be safely demolished by implosion technique.

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Evacuation plan

As a safety measure, the residents of two adjoining societies (Emerald Court and ATS Village) will be evacuated by 7 am on Aug 28 to carry out the twin tower demolition, which will be done through implosion by Edifice Engineering. The residents can return home only after 4 pm following safety clearance by demolition firm Edifice Engineering.

What arrangements are being made for the demolition?

• An exclusion zone has been demarcated beyond which no person or vehicle will be allowed to move during the demolition of 100-metres towers.
• There will be restrictions on entry for people, cars, and animals in the vicinity of the twin towers.
  Stray dogs in the area are being rescued by authorities and sent to safer places.
• There will be a ‘No Fly Zone’ in the area.
• More than 2,500 automobiles will no longer be part of society. The Botanical Garden metro station’s multilevel parking structure will include space for them thanks to the Noida Authority.
• Around 50 beds have also been reserved for residents in case they fall sick, at the Felix Hospital in Sector 137, according to reports.
• The Noida-Greater Noida Expressway will remain unavailable for vehicular movement from 2.15 pm to 2.45 pm on this day.
• In case of damage to the surrounding property, an insurance of Rs 100 crore has been given.
• The road built behind the park in front of the twin towers will be used to park emergency vehicles such as ambulances and fire trucks

How will Supertech’s Twin Towers be demolished?

A total of 3,700 kg of explosives will be used to demolish both the illegal towers of Supertech in Noida. The explosives include detonators, emulsions and shock tubes, which have explosion material in gel or powdered form. About 10,000 holes have been drilled in both the towers to place the explosives.

At site for charging, only 10 would remain which will include two Indian blasters and Edifice project manager Mayur Mehta and seven members of its South African expert partner Jet Demolition. Chetan Dutta, who is an blaster, will press the final button for the blast, IANS reported.

“The time for dust dissipation is estimated to be 10 minutes,” said Edifice Engineering partner Utkarsh Mehta, whose company has previously executed demolition of illegal residential complexes in Kerala’s Maradu, Telangana’s secretariat and central prison, and old Motera stadium in Gujarat among others.

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Where will debris of twin towers go?

The demolition of the twin towers will produce about 60,000 tonnes of debris, in addition to 4,000 tonnes of rebar and steel, which will be separated, IANS reported. About 30,000 tonnes will be used to fill the basement and around 30,000 tonnes of debris will be disposed off.

The Noida Authority has a C&D Waste Management Plant in Sector 80 with a capacity of 300 metric tonnes per day. The debris will be brought here and disposed off. Cement and tiles will be made from the debris by recycling. About 20 dumpers will carry the debris daily.

To prevent dust from reaching the nearby residential towers post-blast, an iron sheet has been placed between the twin towers. The nearly 100-metre tall twin towers — Apex and Ceyane — will be razed in pursuance of a Supreme Court order that found the twin towers in Sector 93A were built in violation of norms.

Cost of implosion

The demolition of Noida Supertech twin towers is a costly affair as it requires a lot of explosives, manpower and equipment. According to reports, the implosion cost for the twin towers is estimated at about Rs 267 per sq ft. Given the total built-up area of about 7.5 lakh sq ft, the total demolition cost, including explosives, will be about Rs 20 crore.

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Has a demolition like this taken place in the past?

In Kerala’s Kochi district, the Supreme Court had two years ago ordered a demolition action against four illegal seaside housing complexes. The final two high towers were demolished using a controlled implosion technique, bringing the demolition campaign for Kochi’s unlawful Maradu flats to an end.