It’s the end of the story for Noida’s infamous twin towers. They disappeared in a cloud of dust leaving behind a mountain of debris after a ‘waterfall implosion’ detonated their 3,700 kg stockpile of explosives at 2.30 P.M. on Sunday. The Supertech twin towers in Sector 93A, Noida were brought to the ground within a span of just 12 seconds, ending a nine-year-long legal battle which resulted in a loss of ` 500 crore to Supertech Limited.
The implosion and its impact did not do any major damage to buildings and structures around. The boundary wall of a nearby residential society suffered some damage while windowpanes of some apartments developed cracks.
The Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board air quality monitoring station did not record an increase in pollution levels between 2 P.M. and 3 P.M.
Jet Demolitions Managing Director Joe Brinkmann said that it took 12 seconds to raze the Supertech twin towers in Noida to the ground.
As soon as the explosion took place at the press of a button at 2.30 P.M., the floors of the twin towers collapsed onto each other in a stack, generating a cloud of massive dust.
Thousands of people watched from vantage points outside the ‘exclusion zone’ in Noida’s sector-93 on the outskirts of New Delhi. Many others had travelled to Noida for what could be a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle. Many people across the country were glued to their TV sets since afternoon to watch the mega demolition event.
As the dust settled a few minutes later, officials reported cracked windows and a broken boundary wall but no apparent structural damage to the high-rises next to the demolished towers. The closest residential complex was just nine metres away.
“The blast has largely been successful. Teams of Edifice, CBRI (Central Building Research Institute), Jet Demolitions are making a physical inspection of the site to see if any leftover explosives are there,” Noida Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari said after the demolition.
The demolition waste is largely within the site. Some debris spilled over to the road, while a little went towards the ATS Village wall also, she said.
“The plumes of dust, as seen by all of us, dissipated immediately,” she said.