Noida: Around ground zero, families seek plan for quick dust removal as D-day draws closer

NOIDA: Families living in the vicinity of the Supertech twin towers have asked authorities for a detailed action plan to contain dust from the debris that, they fear, will be pervasive when they return to their flats after the demolition and a health hazard.
The twin towers in Emerald Court of Sector 93A will crumble into 60,000 tonne of debris, which is expected to take three months to clear. Depending on the wind, the dust could spread to as far as 3-4km from the demolition site.
Citing the experience of residents of Kochi's Maradu, where the apartment complex was demolished in early 2020, families in Sector 93A said they were worried the dust cloud would settle in the neighbourhood and into their houses.
A more pressing concern is that of possible health impact, especially among the elderly and those who suffer from respiratory illnesses. They are also anxious that prolonged exposure could trigger dust and skin allergies apart from ailments such as fever and headache. The residents said they had repeatedly written to the UP Pollution Control Board (UPPCB), seeking details of a mitigation plan, but their requests had been ignored.
"It is quite unfortunate that the pollution control board has not addressed our concerns despite official complaints. The department officials seem to be absent from meetings also. We have not heard about its participation in any of the proceedings from our RWA. It is likely that dust particles will linger in the environment for a long time, and this will be a silent killer for the residents," Rakesh Kumar, a resident of Aster 6 tower, said on Monday.
He said air quality in the area had worsened while the preparation work was going on to raze the towers, and the post-demolition debris removal process would only add to their problems.
Another resident, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, pointed out that the towers - around 30 storeys high - would be the tallest buildings to be brought down in the country. In comparison, the four buildings demolished in Maradu were around 19 storeys high.
"The scale of this demolition is bigger, but it seems the authorities have learnt no lesson. There is no plan for safeguarding the residents' health. We don't know on what basis the residents have been told they can return to their houses less than two hours after the demolition," he said.
A Noida Authority official had told TOI last week that they expected the dust cloud to settle within an hour of the implosion, planned for 2.30pm on August 28. The residents can return to their flats by 4pm that day, they had said.
On Monday, the Emerald Court RWA said it was "shocked" that the residents' concerns weren't addressed even though the demolition was just days away. "There has been no response from the authorities. The issue had been raised several times in the past, when all stakeholders met to discuss the demolition," said UBS Teotia, the RWA president.
"We want the process to remove dust and debris to be faster. Authorities should deploy earthmovers, sweeping machines, dust control machines, and water sprinklers along with staff to remove the waste," he added.
Praveen Kumar, the UPPCB regional officer in Noida, said there was no way to know exactly how long the dust would persist. "There is no research on this. We will monitor air pollution and take quality control measures strictly in compliance with the environmental protection norms," he added.
Edifice Engineering, the company in charge of the demolition, had previously said it had submitted a report on managing construction and demolition waste, and addressed the residents' concerns at the meetings.