NEW DELHI: The government on Friday said the emissions from mobile towers are non-ionizing radio frequencies and are incapable of causing any adverse impact on the environment. Telecom state minister Devusinh Chauhan in a written reply to Rajya Sabha, informed the present norms for Electromagnetic Field (EMF) emissions from mobile towers in India are already ten times more stringent than the safe limits prescribed.
“EMF emissions from Mobile towers are non-ionizing Radio frequencies having very minuscule power and are incapable of causing any adverse environmental impact,” informed Chauhan. He further added, the international EMF Project of World Health Organisation (WHO) has published an information sheet in 2005 on effect of EMF emissions on animals, insects, vegetation and aquatic life and has concluded that the exposure limits in the Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guidelines for protection of human health are also protective of the environment.
The government has put in place a well-structured process and mechanism for monitoring any violation, so that Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) adhere to the prescribed norms including the submission of self-certificate before commercial start of Base Transceiver Station (BTS) site.
“The field units of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) regularly carry out the EMF audit up to 10% BTS Sites annually on a random basis. DoT also imposes a financial penalty on TSPs whose BTSs are found exceeding the prescribed EMF emission limits,” informed the minister. In addition, if emission levels of such non-compliant BTSs are not brought within prescribed limits within 30 days, the same is liable to be shut down as per prescribed procedure.