Taller than iconic Qutub Minar, the 103-metre-tall 32-storey Supertech twin towers in Noida's Sector 93A is scheduled for a huge explosion today at 2:30 pm. The area has been evacuated, and precautions have been taken to ensure that the explosion won't damage nearby structures.
Below are some facts to know about the demolition:
- The Supreme Court of India in 2021, ordered the demolition of the Noida Twin Towers citing the fact that the towers were constructed illegally. 9 years of court battle led to the demolition after the final verdict.
- Over 3,700 kg of explosives have been wired into the two towers. The pillars have over 7,000 holes that have been filled with explosives. There are 20,000 circuits in place. These, when activated, will cause the pillars to collapse such that the towers fall directly down.
- The project engineer estimates that it will take nine seconds for the structure to collapse. Depending on the wind speed, it will take around 12 minutes for the dust to settle.
- There will be about 80,000 tonnes of debris produced, and cleanup might take three months. The trash will be disposed of at designated locations. Of these, 50,000 to 55,000 tonnes will be used to fill the site.
- Officials said traffic on the Greater Noida Expressway, within the 450-metre no-go zone, will be stopped for half an hour -- 15 minutes on either side of the blast, from 2.15 pm to 2.45 pm. Diversions have been placed on roads leading to the twin towers in Sector 93A.
- By 7 am on Sunday, more than 5,000 inhabitants of Emerald Court and ATS Village, the two communities nearest to the twin towers, had already evacuated. Around 2,700 of their vehicles have probably been removed from the property, and the inhabitants will also take between 150 and 200 of their pets with them.
- To reduce dust penetration, a special cloth has been placed over the adjoining buildings in the radius of 12-metre. A one nautical mile no-fly zone has been established over the area.
- A 100 crore insurance policy will be used for the demolition project. If there is any damage to nearby structures, this ought to cover it. Supertech is required to pay the premium as well as any additional expenses. The loss of the towers, even in their skeletal form, is anticipated to be more than 50 crore, even if the demolition effort may cost up to 20 crore.
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