The Pioneer 31.08.2010
Mobile towers mushroom; radiation poses health hazard in citySaroj Mishra | Bhubaneswar
While the private telecom service providers in the State capital are under the scanner of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) for erecting illegal towers in residential areas without the civic body's permission. It has threatened to demolish the towers, shockingly the radiation from these mobile towers which poses a health hazard has been overlooked both by BMC and the residents.
Sources said as the telecom giants pay huge rents the house -owners allow the service providers to set up mobile towers on their roof tops. Many mobile towers have been installed in residential colonies, near schools and even near hospitals, where it should not have been set up, flouting all norms.
The owner is paid a hefty advance and a monthly rent of `15,000 to `25,000 if he allows a service provider to erect the mobile tower on his roof top or premises. Presently according to BMC figures there are 279 mobile towers and with rising cell phone connections there numbers will increase further.
However, due to ignorance of the potential health hazards these towers continue to mushroom in the city. Experts say mobile phone towers installed on top of buildings are a definite threat to human health.
"Exposure to electromagnetic waves generate heat in the body and high levels of radiation can even affect the enzyme system, cause mutation of DNA, protein structure and cell membranes, said," said an expert. A doctor said due to the erection of the mobile tower, those in the close vicinity can suffer from health problems like headache, fatigue and vomiting because of radiation.
It may be mentioned here that the Department of Telecom has decided that mobile service providers will have to pay a fine of `5 lakh per mobile phone tower from November if it does not conform to internationally accepted limits of radiation. When contacted, the BMC Mayor was unavailable for comment.
