Simply Put: What happens to the Twin Towers’ 80,000 tonnes of debris?
The Supertech Twin Towers in Noida were blown to bits earlier this week. It collapsed to the ground within 12 seconds like a house of cards and turned into rubble. But its story doesn’t end there.
The Supertech Twin Towers in Noida were blown to bits earlier this weekBCCL
As India saw its largest demolition to date, a sea of dust enveloped the neighbourhood as the mangled iron dropped to the ground.
The demolition followed an order from the Supreme Court last year after a lengthy legal battle. The towers were found to have violated multiple building regulations and fire safety norms.
The nearly 100-metre-high Twin Towers, taller than the city’s Qutub Minar, stood tall in the Emerald court compound for years and it has now left behind 80,000 tonnes of debris for the authorities to deal with.
The towers were found to have violated multiple building regulations and fire safety normsBCCL
How vast is the sea of debris?
The unoccupied Apex and Ceyane towers with 32 and 29 storeys respectively turned into 35,000 cubic metres of rubble, approximately 80,000 tonnes. Before the big blast, all walls and brickwork had been removed, leaving only the concrete exterior.
The two towers had 915 flats in total and Supertech stood to have made ₹1,200 crore if all were sold.
What happens to the leftovers?
As per the Edifice’s debris management plan, around 50,000 tonnes of the debris has been absorbed in the basements of the erstwhile towers and the remaining of it would be disposed of in 90 days. Some of it will be reused and recycled.
As per media reports, the demolition cost ₹20 crore, a quarter of which will be borne by builders Supertech. Not only did the demolition need a huge investment, but it would also affect the environment.
Aftermath of Twin Towers demolition: High water consumption and air pollution
The Ramky group has started the cleaning work to remove the dust and soil accumulated on the ground. Over 450 tankers of water have been used to make neighbouring Supertech Emerald and ATS societies dust-free.
Approximately 45 lakh litres of water has been sprayed to control the dust with anti-smog guns. The dust has gathered on trees, windowpanes and roads.
If the cleaning work is delayed, this dust could lead to eye irritation, respiratory problems and skin diseases.
The Indian authorities used 3,700 kilos or 8,100 pounds of explosives that included solar coal, electric detonators, shock tubes and emulsions. The gunpowder used in this blast, and cement particles are also scattered in the air.
As per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), in Delhi, construction dust is a top polluter.
After the demolition of the Twin Towers, on August 28, Noida’s air quality was marked in yellow, which means it was of poor quality that caused breathing discomfort to people with lungs, heart diseases and asthma.
As per the report, very small particles found in dust and smoke (PM10), and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) were the prominent pollutants in Noida.
<em>Air Quality Index in Noida after Twin Towers demolition </em>BI India
What are India’s rules on construction and demolition waste management?
Inadequately managed waste disposal can affect the environment. In a bid to repurpose urban waste, the Centre released rules and regulations to handle construction and demolition waste in 2016.
As per the Construction and Demolition (C & D) Waste Management Rules, 2016, authorities are required to use recycled products in the best possible manner and make provision for giving incentives for use of material made out of construction and demolition waste in the construction activity including in non-structural concrete, paving blocks, lower layers of road pavements, colony and rural roads.
CPCB norms include segregating construction debris into steel, concrete and iron and depositing it at a collection centre, a ban on dumping them in the open or on the road, and the mandatory use of water sprinklers to suppress dust and, thereby, pollution.
Every waste generator is required to pay relevant charges for collection, transportation, processing and disposal as notified by the concerned authorities.
After segregation, the waste is to be deposited at the collection centre and/or to be handed to an authorised processing facility. The authorities are required to ensure that there’s no littering on roads that could cause traffic. The waste is not to be burned, buried or thrown into drains or water bodies.
What happens next?
Of the 80,000 tonnes of construction waste left behind by the Twin Towers, 30,000 will be removed and recycled. The remaining 50,000 tonnes will be used to lay the foundation of the proposed garden.
However, it won’t be until the next four months that the residents of Emerald court will get to see green pastures in the place of a giant grey rubble.
Here's a small video
Simply Put: What happens to the Twin Towers’ 80,000 tonnes of debris? BI India
