By Kaisar Andrabi
Preetam Kumar, 32, who works at Emerald Court residential society in Noida as a helping staff, is covering all windowpanes, flowerpots, and electronic appliances with polythene. His employer has told him to cover all the entries in order to avoid dust barring inside the house.
Residents of Emerald Court and ATS Village societies in Noida have been asked by the authorities to leave their homes on 28 August, according to the finalised evacuation plan for the demolition of the Supertech Twin Towers in the locality.
The illegal Noida Twin Towers, which is even taller than Qutub Minar, will be razed to the ground on 28 August following a Supreme Court order. It will become India's highest structures ever to be demolished.
The demolition would be done through a controlled implosion technique for which over 3,700 kg of explosive will be used in the eye-popping event that would also leave behind a whopping 55,000 tonnes of debris.
On August 31, 2021, the Supreme Court ordered the demolition of the nearly 100-metre tall twin towers, which had come up in violation of building bye-laws inside Supertech's Emerald Court group housing society.
The two 40-story towers, that stand on Noida-Greater Noida expressway, houses over 900 flats in an area of around 7.5 lakh sq. feet. Over the past few weeks, explosives have been planted on every floor of the building.
A group of residents of Emerald Court told BOOM that they have been briefed about Do's and Don'ts while the demolition will be conducted. "But we are very scared about the safety of our homes. Though the authorities are claiming that the demolition will be the safest one, we are not sure how true their claims are," said a resident.
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What Are The Do's and Don'ts For Neighbours?
Residents living in ATS and Emerald court will have to evacuate their apartments, along with their pets, before 7:00 am on Sunday. However, families that have persons with medical complications have been asked to evacuate on Saturday, owing to the expected rush in lifts and exit points on the demolition day.
"This is an unprecedented demolition. It has never been done anywhere in India and people don't know what to expect. The uncertainty is driving up our anxiety level," said a resident wishing anonymity.
She said that some families have planned to go out of town because they don't want to take any chances of getting infected due to the pollution. The rest will shift to either their friend's place or to neighbouring societies. "Some neighbouring societies have invited us and they will host us for the entire day," she added.
People living in the neighbouring buildings have expressed worries that the vibrations from the implosion could damage their structures. However, engineers involved with the demolition say there's nothing to worry about.
After the demolition, authorities will inspect the premises before giving clearance for residents' re-entry. The security team will allow residents to enter their societies, only after the premises have been declared safe.
The residents will be allowed to re-enter only after the likely dust cloud from the implosion has settled. The exact timing for their re-entry will also depend on weather conditions.
Additionally, people with asthma or allergies or any medical condition that can be triggered by dust should re-enter only after one or two days. The residents have been advised to check with the control room before returning to know the status of the pollution.
What do medical experts say about it?
Speaking to BOOM, Dr DK Gupta, chairman of Flix Hospital Noida, said that due to the massive explosion, people can face health complications.
"Pregnant women, cardiac patients, children and people with chest infections can face complications. There will be short and long-term effects of the demolition on people. They can have complications like cough, pre-mature labour, rashes, breathing difficulties etc and the effect would last for days or even for weeks. It depends upon how fast the quality of the air would improve," he explained.
Residents of Emerald Court have covered their balconies with plastic sheets to avoid dust entering homes on Sunday. Photo by Kaisar Andrabi
He said after the demolition, people should avoid outdoor activities for a while. The doctor emphasised on seeking medical help if the residents feel any health complications.
What will be the environmental impact?
Environment experts say the claims of the authorities' that the demolition will not have a massive impact on the environment is "invalid".
Professor Vipul Singh who teaches Environmental History at Delhi University told BOOM that the weather will play a pivotal role in the demolition. "If the weather is pleasant and there is rain after the demolition, the dust would settle down," he said.
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However, he raised concerns about the debris that would take months to remove from the spot. "Most of the time, we have seen vehicles carrying debris remains uncovered and the dust gets into the air which is harmful to all species," he explained.
On the front side of the Twin Towers is a public park (around 20 acres) and due to the demolition, it will be the first environmental casualty. "All the trees will be impacted as there will be dust on them. Environmental crises don't show up immediately, but in the long term, it is a big blow. Aftermaths of explosion will invite serious problems on the environment," Singh explained.
How do you demolish a skyscraper?
Sunday's demolition is challenging because barely 30ft (9m) from the two towers is a 12-storey inhabited building with around 7,000 people live in some 45 condominium buildings on either side of the towers. Such demolitions are generally not permitted or are rare in densely built areas around the world.
The two cheek-by-jowl towers called Apex and Ceyane - which were built by a private developer called Supertech and later found to be in violation of building norms - will be the country's largest skyscrapers ever to be imploded.
Buildings in Noida are designed to withstand earthquakes. British engineers who are helping with the demolition have calculated that the blast will trigger vibrations which will be a tenth of a quake measuring four on the Richter scale.
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They have explained that the basements of the towers will be stuffed with loose debris to absorb the vibrations.
On Sunday, six people will be allowed inside the "exclusion zone." The officers include three men in charge of the explosion - also called "blasters", a police officer will be sent to set off the explosions, which will see the towers implode simultaneously.
Demolitions of skyscrapers are not common in India. In 2020, authorities in Kerala demolished two luxury lakeside apartment complexes – home to about 2,000 people – that were built in violation of environmental rules. But the Noida demolitions are unprecedented in terms of scale and the fears they have generated.
In an estimated 12 seconds, the towers will be demolished.
