CPCB plans to monitor environmental impacts of Supertech Twin Towers' demolition

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) is planning to study the health and environmental impact of the demolition of the Supertech Twin towers. Top officials from the pollution watchdog also cautioned that the impact on nearby buildings may also be explored after the explosion as the areas is near the Yamuna river bed.

The 100-metre-tall structures were demolished using 3,700 kilos of explosives bored into the pillars and walls the building around one year after the Supreme Court noted they were built violating the building norms and ordered them to be razed.

“There may be some short-term impact on health of people living near the area due to suspended micro particles in the environment for many days but long-term impacts should be minimal. Another environment issue is the Yamuna-Ganga bed in the adjacent areas. So nothing has come to the fore but it is very significant to monitor the impact on buildings nearby as the explosion was huge and everything eventually came down with huge shock on the ground,” said a senior official in CPCB.

Meanwhile, the environmental experts have called for regular air monitoring, waste segregation, reuse of the rubble to minimise environmental impacts.

“The demolition of these towers has generated significant quantities of rubble, which resulted in production of gigantic amounts of dust, as a result of which PM10 in the areas within its close vicinity is likely to be recorded much higher. The PM2.5 levels would also see a spike but not as much as PM10 (being larger particles than the former),” said Akash Vashishtha, Noida based environment lawyer and Environmentalist.

The environmental experts are urging the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Board to monitor the air quality levels of the site and whole area, post demolition, till at least for a month and a half because NCR starts witnessing spurt in the air pollution levels late October onwards, so as to ensure that pollution from demolition does not coincide with the annual pollution factor.

“The UPPCB must oversee and ensure that the provisions of the C&D Waste Rules are strictly implemented. The CPCB must ensure that there are no lapses by the UPPCB and Noida Authority. The Noida Authority needs to ensure that there is proper segregation of the waste, into concrete, steel, soil, wood, glass, plastics, bricks and mortar etc, as provided under the Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016, under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986,” Vashishtha said adding that after segregation, they must be carefully transported under covered sheets, to the C&D waste processing site, where another round of segregation must take place.