Over 35,000 tonne of debris is likely to be generated after the Supertech twin towers in Sector 93A are brought down. Of this, 4,000 tonne would be iron while 30,000 tonne concrete rubble.
Edifice Engineering, the Mumbai-based firm entrusted with the responsibility of demolishing the towers, will submit a report to the UP Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) and the Noida Authority in two weeks, giving details about how and where they plan to dispose of the concrete waste.
Although the final plan is yet to be submitted, officials said most of the debris collected so far after breaking the shear walls would be used to fill the basement of the two towers and act as a cushion against the impact of the explosion the day the 32-storey buildings are brought down.
A major portion of the concrete rubble would be sent to the Noida Authority’s C&D waste plant in Sector 80 and other designated vacant plots in the city to fill them up. However, since the capacity of the waste plant is only 300 tonne a day, the officials will have to make some alternative arrangements to dispose of them.
UPPCB regional officer Praveen Kumar said the department was expecting a report from Edifice over the next two weeks and was ensuring that all the rules were followed properly.
A few private companies, the officials said, have shown interest in buying the concrete debris from Edifice, but it is yet to be seen if they can be sold or not. The concrete debris will have to be managed in keeping with the Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016.
A Noida Authority official said the recycled waste could be used for laying roads and manufacturing interlocking tiles, footpaths and pavements. The iron debris, however, can be sold entirely in the market. In fact, Edifice hopes to recover a major portion of the demolition cost this way. The firm hopes to earn Rs 10-15 crore from the salvageable material after the demolition. Supertech is supposed to pay Edifice Rs 20 crore for the demolition job.
Another challenge for the stakeholders on the day of the demolition will be to clear the thick cloud of dust that will engulf the area after the buildings come down. Residents have also expressed concern over prolonged air pollution and health hazards. However, the Noida Authority officials said an environmental management plan was in place to deal with the situation.
At 2.30pm on Sunday, a test blast was conducted on six pillars of one of the towers. Police teams guarded the approach roads to Sector 93A to ensure no one ventured near the area. Residents of nearby buildings — Emerald Court and ATS Greens Village — were asked to remain indoors for half an hour from 2.15pm.
“All six pillars were loaded with different quantities of explosives. There were also different types of protection for each pillar. We got good results from the blast. We will work on the final demolition design. It’s a huge challenge to bring down the two towers, but with the right crew and plan, we will complete the work. But the buildings are strong and we will need more explosives to bring them down,” Joe Brinkmann, the managing director of Jet Demolitions, the South African partner of Edifice that is preparing the blast design, had said on Sunday.
