EMN
DIMAPUR, MARCH 26
The Forest Colony Union Kohima ( FCUK) has appealed to the residents to avoid installation of telephone towers within the residential areas or adhere to the technical norms and procedures while installing the towers to avoid health hazard so as to safeguard human lives. In a press release issued by Chairman Forest colony Kohima, T.N. Konyak and general secretary Ghokuto Kinimi, the Union mentioned the rules for installation of communication towers that include site plan, drawing of tower with complete details including the specification of foundations and design parameters, height of towers along with its elevation, vicinity or adjoining to high or low tension line distance, indemnity bond to take care of any loss or injury due to accident caused by the tower, in case the mobile tower is installed in the residential are, NOC from owner of the adjoining buildings is to be obtained. The union also said that, the location of communication towers are governed by radiofrequency system and cellular operations shall avoid residential areas for erection of the same. The location of the tower should be in the forest area, it added.
According to the Union, the second preference should be given in open or public areas away from residential location, in open space or park with prior consent of owners of adjoining residential houses and the erection of towers is not allowed within a radius of 100 meters from residential building, the union stated. The union also said that, the generator set installed at the tower site to cater the power requirement s of the antenna should conform to noise and emission norms prescribed technically.
The Electro-magnetic radiation from towers concerns have been raised that continuous exposure to radiation emanating from telecom towers caused harmful thermal and non- thermal health effects.
The ill effects of exposure to radiation from mobile towers/ mobile phones are that study by the international agency for research on cancer discovered that the chances of developing a malignant tumor are significantly increased for people who use cell phones, the Union pointed out. Research from Sweden reports that children’s and teenagers are five times more likely to get brain cancer, if they use mobile phones, it added.
Among peoples living closer that 300 meters away from the base station, a French study found increased incidence of tiredness within 300m, of headache, sleep disturbance, discomfort etc within 200m and of irritability, depression, loss of memory, dizziness, libido decrease etc within 100m. Women were found to complain signification more often than men of headache, nausea, loss of appetite, sleep disturbance, depression, discomfort and visual perturbations.
This study based on the symptoms experienced by people living in vicinity of base stations recommend that the minimal distance of people from cellular phone base station should not be less than 300m, the Forest Colony Union added.
