The demolition of the Noida twin towers built by Supertech Realtors was carried out on Sunday, August 28, as per the Supreme Court’s orders. Around 3,700kg of explosives were used in said demolition while 7,000 people from nearby areas were evacuated as a precautionary measure. However, two questions this massive demolition project brings up are how much waste will be generated from the explosion and how will the same be disposed of? 

The Noida planning authority said that the explosion will generate around 35,000 cubic metres of debris, of which 21,000 cubic metres will be disposed of at an isolated location near the city’s Work Circle 7 limits. The designated plot’s area is reportedly six hectares. The mass of the total debris generated is estimated to be around 85,000 tonnes. The basements of the twin towers will be used to accommodate around 50,000 tonnes of debris generated.

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Ishtiaq Ahmed, the Noida Authority’s General Manager (Planning), said in an interview to PTI, 

“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.”

Edifice Engineering, the company behind the demolition, is likely to salvage iron and steel weighing 4,000 tonnes from the site, which it will use to recover a part of the demolition cost.

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What will be the environmental impact?

According to Times Now, a Noida-based environmental conservationist has said that the resulting dust particles from the demolition will continue to impact the area’s air pollution even weeks after the project since the debris will be loaded on trucks and carried away for days. The air quality index in and around Noida, which is currently “moderate” according to the Central Pollution Control Board, is expected to worsen post the demolition.

Mint spoke to Dr. DK Gupta, the director of Noida’s Felix Hospital, who said that “There is a likelihood of huge dust from demolition causing health-related issues from seven to 90 days among the nearby residents”.