Question : EMF Radiations From Mobile Towers

(a) whether the number of mobile towers has increased during the last three years and if so, the
details thereof, State/UT-wise;

(b) whether these towers have resulted in an increase in emissions therefrom and if so, the details thereof and the steps taken by the Government in this regard;

(c) the upper limit of Electro Magnetic Field (EMF) radiations from mobile towers fixed by the Government and various international organisations;

(d) whether the Government has conducted any surveys to see if the exposure level of EMF radiation need to be revised; and

(e) if so, the details and the outcome thereof?

MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS, EDUCATION AND
ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI SANJAY DHOTRE)

(a) Yes, Sir. The telecom licenses are issued Licensed Service Area (LSA) wise and accordingly the information about number of mobile towers is maintained LSA-wise. Accordingly, the LSA-wise details of growth in number of mobile towers during the last three year is attached as Annexure.
(b) No, Sir. There is no report in regard to increase in emission due to increase in number of towers. Even with the increase in towers, the total emission at any place accessible to public shall be within the prescribed norms of Department of Telecom as given in Para (c) below.
(c) The norms for exposure limit for the Radio Frequency Field (Base Station Emissions) has been fixed 10 times more stringent than the safe limits prescribed by International Commission on Non Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and recommended by World Health Organization (WHO). The present emission norms as laid down by the Government on 30-12-2011 for Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) installed at various mobile towers in India are as follows:


<pre>
Frequency Range E-Field Strength (Volt/Meter) H-Field Strength (Amp/Meter) Power Density (Watt/Sq.Meter)
400 MHz to 2000 MHz 0.434 f ½ 0.0011 f ½ f / 2000
2 GHz to 300 GHz 19.29 0.05 1
</pre>
(f is frequency in MHz)
(d) & (e) To review the exposure limit, in 2014, a Committee was setup at the behest of orders of High Court of Allahabad, Lucknow bench. The Committee comprised of members from Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) Kharagpur, Kanpur, Delhi, Roorkee, Bombay and from other scientific institutions of the country including Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) Delhi. Based on the report of the Committee and after due consideration of the human health concerns on account of EMF radiation being raised in public and the Report of the Committee, the Government decided in February 2014 that the present prescribed precautionary EMF safe exposure limits (as above) are adequate and need no further change.