Govt mulls ban on cellphone towers

The Pakistan Telecommunication Limited in its report stated that the towers/antennas could have some negative effects but their impact on human beings was not in their knowledge. The report also said that international bodies had recommended precautionary measures and had set conservative limits for exposure to radiations.

Sources in the offices of Environment Secretary disclosed that deliberation were going on to ban installations of towers of cellular phone companies in residential areas

Sources said that CDGL was also going to launch an operation against the cellphone towers erected on rooftops without proper safety measures posing risk to human health.

He said the cellphone companies were adopting old methods in setting up towers instead of modern technology in which the towers of very small diameter were set up.

According to Punjab Environment Protection Department, electromagnetic waves are emitted from these towers. With the massive proliferation of mobile phone users in the country, the service providers are putting up transmitters even on dilapidated buildings and thus posing a huge threat to local residents. Although the WHO has officially ruled out adverse health effects from cellular base stations and wireless data networks, and expects to make recommendations in 2008, studies found that these towers have a variety of disastrous effects on people living within a 300m radius of the base station.