3,700 kg explosives to blast 100 metres tall Supertech twin towers in Noida today

Over 3,700 kg of explosives will be triggered in the blast to demolish the illegal Supertech twin towers in Noida on the outskirts of Delhi at 2.30 pm today.

Around 7,000 residents in the adjoining buildings have been evacuated and measures have been taken to prevent collateral damage to them from the explosion. The closes building is merely 9 metres away from the twin towers which are taller than the Qutab Minar.

Explosives have been packed into 7,000 holes drilled in the key pillars of the two towers that will be brought down. The towers are expected to implode inwards and fall in a heap in the area in which they are built as part of the “waterfall technique” that is being used to demolish them .

One of the towers, Apex, now has 32 floors and is 103 metres tall while the other Ceyane has 29 floors with a height of 97 metres.

The explosions will take place in a series over nine seconds, according to the project engineer.

While the engineers carrying out the blast claim it will take about 12 minutes for the dust to settle, much will depend on the on the wind velocity at the time.

As much as 55,000 tonnes of debris will pile up at the site of the crash which is expected to take three months to clear.

The explosion is expected to trigger vibrations in a 30-metre radius for a few seconds. But the other buildings in the area

The twin towers are being demolished after a legal battle over 10 years that went up to the Supreme Court. Residents of Supertech Emerald Court society first won the case in the High Court against the illegal construction of the two towers by Supertech after which the builder moved the Supreme Court.

Five retired residents of Emerald Court had spearheaded the legal battle for the residents.

Mumbai-based company Edifice Engineering along with a South African company has been tasked with demolishing the two towers following a 10-year legal battle by the residents of adjoining buildings. It is working closely with the Central Building Research Institute and other official agencies.