KOCHI: The demolition of five apartment complexes (including one half-built structure) at Maradu would generate over 75,000 tonnes of concrete debris, huge enough to fill the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium upto its roof.
Speaking to TNIE, Uttkarsh Mehta, partner, Edifice Engineering, one of the companies selected for the demolition job, said nearly a month is required to remove the debris from the site.
“As per our primary estimation, the debris would come to around 30,000 cubic feet. The whole building would come to around nearly seven lakh square feet,” Uttkarsh explained. He also said each building will have debris to a height of 10 m.
However, the new revelation is in stark contrast to the documents published by Maradu municipality. As per the tender documents, a total quantity of 7,200 cubic metres of concrete, including steel, has to be removed from the sites. Meanwhile, the environmental assessment report by IIT-Madras said demolition waste generated would be 450 kg/sq m of carpet area, of which, about 65 per cent would be concrete and about 25 per cent would be brick and mortar.
Government clueless on dumping of debris
The government is still clueless about dumping the debris. Though the earlier plan was to use the debris to construct a sea wall, no proper discussions were carried out in this regard.
“The debris is a big issue but there are several ways to dispose of it. Even the debris can be used as a sub layer during the construction of a road. It is also possible to make concrete blocks which can be used for drainage or other purposes,” said Uttkarsh.
“If it properly used, the debris may not be a big issue. There are several methods available to dispose of the debris. The government also asked our suggestions to dispose of the waste. We will make our suggestion before the expert committee,” he said.
Edifice Engg, Vijay Steels to carry out demolition
Kochi: The state government on Thursday finalised the list of two companies for carrying out the Maradu flats’ demolition which is slated to be completed before January 9. Mumbai-based Edifice Engineering and Chennai-based Vijay Steels and Explosives have been selected. An official announcement will be made only on Friday after the meeting of government representatives with demolition expert S B Sarwate.