The Supertech Twin Towers are literally built and cleaned up, and what remains where they stood in Sector 93A of Noida is a mountain of concrete rubble that must now be disposed of quickly, safely and efficiently. What is the nature of the task and how will it be performed?
How much rubble are we talking about?
In terms of weight, about 80,000 tons, according to Utkarsh Mehta, a partner at Edifice Engineering, which was the demolition contractor. A ton is equal to 1000 kilograms. According to the debris management plan, which Edifice presented to Noida authorities on August 24, about 36,000 cubic meters of debris is expected to be generated by volume.
The taller tower, the Apex, was 102 meters high and had 32 floors. The lower one, Ceyane, was 95 meters and 29 floors. For reference: Qutub Minar is 73 meters high and India Gate is 42 meters high. The two towers together had 915 apartments, but before demolition, all walls and brickwork were removed, leaving only the concrete shell.
The debris that is now left in place are large concrete slabs and pieces of steel.
What will they do with this small mountain of rubbish?
The twin towers had two large cellars. According to Edifice’s debris management plan, the bulk of the debris – 23,133 cubic meters out of a total of 36,000 cubic meters – will be used to fill the basement. In terms of weight, this would amount to about 50,000 tons out of a total of 80,000 tons. A small portion of this debris will also be used for some important site construction work.
The remaining 30,000-odd tons – 12,867 cubic meters according to the garbage plan – must be removed from the site. Any material that can be reused will be separated and used for that purpose. Noida Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari said the rest of the garbage will be recycled at the construction and demolition waste disposal plant scientifically.
Who will lead the cleanup operation and how long will it take?
The task was entrusted to the Hyderabad-based Ramky Group, which specializes in large civil and environmental infrastructure development and waste management projects. The work is expected to be completed within 90 days in agreement with government agencies and the Residents Welfare Association (RWA).
What happened in the 2020 Marado demolition case?
In January 2020, four housing estates built in Maradoo, Kochi were demolished by Supreme Court order for violating coastal regulation. The remaining crushed stone amounted to about 76,250 tons, not counting 1,000 tons of thermomechanically treated (TMT) steel bars. It took almost four months for Prompt Enterprises, a Kochi-based company to remove the concrete debris, to completely clear the demolition site.
Crushed concrete from the debris of Holy Faith H2O and Jain Coral Cove was used to make hollow bricks and paving slabs. The rubble from the other two sites was used for backfill and related purposes.
Reusing concrete debris after demolition is a common practice in Western countries and is gaining ground in India, according to industry experts.