The 100-metre tall Supertech twin towers’ demolition in Uttar Pradesh’s Noida went according to plan, said a top official in charge of the operation, adding that a boundary wall and some glass windows were damaged at a neighbouring society as the towers came down.
“A 10-metre boundary wall collapsed and some glass windows were shattered at ATS village. Supertech Emerald (another neighbouring society) did not suffer any damage,” said DCP S Rajesh, in charge commander of the demolition operation.
Chetan Dutta, official of the Edifice said, “ The building was only 70 metres distant from me. The operation was a complete success. The entire structure was destroyed in 9–10 seconds. In addition to the 20–25 members of Edifice Engineering, my team consisted of 10 individuals, including 7 foreign professionals.”
Noida Authority’s CO Ritu Maheshwari said, “The debris struck the 10-meter-long border wall of ATS, an adjacent society, and caused damage. No further damage-related information besides this has been received.”
The towers, comprising about 850 flats and located in Sector 93A near the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway, have a height of almost 100 metres — taller than the Qutub Minar.
Impact and concerns
There were several concerns regarding the demolition of Noida’s Supertech twin towers. The first was the amount of dust the demolition will generate.
The second was the clearing of the debris, even though officials have said the rubble will be cleared within three months.
Third, experts have raised concerns over windblown dust generated in the blast, that can remain in the air for weeks and cause health issues to people in the area. The Noida Authority has said they will provide water tankers, mechanical sweeping machines, and sanitation staff to control the dust menace. Officials have also promised air quality monitoring.
Another point of worry was the vibration and shockwaves that a demolition of this scale can induce. But, on the ground, there was much less impact, as the predictions are done without considering the design of the blast. “We call the design a waterfall implosion. The last point of the building hits the ground six to seven seconds after the first point. So, there is no sudden impact on the ground and the vibration was transfered gradually,” as per the report.
