ERODE: Many academicians in the field have come forward to allay the fears of farmers over the effects of electromagnetic induction near high tension tower lines and cables. The electromagnetic force would in no way cause harm to the people, they assured.
Nandha College of Technology’s Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) department head A S Thiruvengadam pointed out that merely walking beneath the cables or near a tower line would not affect anyone’s health. Only if one were to stay there for several days, it would create some problems. Farmers usually spend only a few hours in the field for seeding and harvesting. Hence, they would not be affected, he clarified.
Talking about the alternative being suggested for Power Grid’s tower line project, he claimed that carrying the cables underground would cause more harm. With HT tower lines, the cables are erected taking into account different weather conditions. That is why the cables hang slightly lose; it allows them to adjust to hot and cold weather. If the cables were laid underground, this change would be affected. It could even harm people, he claimed.
In industrial areas, underground cables are laid in safe and specific areas only; even this is not applicable for cables of 400 or 800 KV, he added.
Kongu Engineering College’s EEE HoD Senthilnathan pointed out that these towerlines exist across the world and there is no scientific evidence to prove that electromagnetic waves cause cancer or any major health hazard. Even in the house, one can safely touch a live wire if they are wearing boots or standing on a wooden chair or table. This would check the passage of current to our body. It turns dangerous only if such safety measures are not followed, he clarified.