Lok Sabha Question No. 1489 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-07-25
Subject: Electro-Magnetic Radiation
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: RAHUL KASWAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1489

TO BE ANSWERED ON 25.07.2017

## Electro-Magnetic Radiation

## 1489.     SHRI RAHUL KASWAN:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  taken  note  of  the  fact  that  electromagnetic  radiation generated through mobile towers are affecting birds and wild life in the country, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has taken steps to check the effects of electromagnetic radiation generated through mobile towers on humans, wild life and birds; and
- (c) if so, the details of guidelines issued by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (DR. HARSH VARDHAN)

- (a), (b) and (c) The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had constituted an 'Expert Committee to study the possible impacts of communication towers under the chairmanship  of  Dr.  Asad  Rahmani,  Director,  Bombay  Natural  History Society. As per the report of the Expert Committee, there are indications that the  Electromagnetic  Radiations  can  affect  biological  systems  of  animals,

on wildlife including Birds and Bees' on 30 th August 2010 birds and insects.

The Ministry has issued an advisory on use of Mobile Towers to minimize their impact on wildlife including birds and bees vide Office Memorandum dated  9 th August  2012.  The  contents  of  the  advisory  are  given  in  the Annexure. The  advisory  has  been  circulated by  the Ministry to the concerned organizations including State Environment and Forest Departments, and local bodies, Ministry of Panchayati Raj and the Department  of  Telecommunications,  for  their  information  and  requisite action.

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## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a), (b) AND (c) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1489 REGARDING 'ELECTRO-MAGNETIC RADIATION'  RAISED BY SHRI RAHUL KASWAN, DUE FOR REPLY OF 25.07.2017

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## Advisory on use of Mobile Towers in a way to minimize their impacts on Wildlife including Birds and Bees

An 'Expert  committee  to  Study  the  possible  Impacts  of  Communication  Towers  on Wildlife including Birds and Bees' was constituted by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government  of  India  on  30 th August  2010.  The  report  of  the  expert  committee  has  been submitted to the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

The review of the available scientific information by the Expert Committee in the report indicates that the Electro-Magnetic Radiations (EMR) interfere with the biological systems. On the  basis  of  the  report  of  the  Expert  Committee  and  subsequent  deliberations  with  the stakeholders,  a  list  of  actions  to  be  undertaken  by  various  agencies  involved  in  providing, regulating, and dealing in any other manner with, the EMR based services, has been prepared. Main objective of the listed actions is to avoid and mitigate the impacts of EMR. The Ministry of Environment and Forests accordingly requests the concerned Departments, State Governments, user agencies, and the public at large to take following actions:

## I. Ministry of Environment and Forests :

1. The  Electro  Magnetic  Radiations  from  the  communication  towers  may  have  varying negative impacts on wildlife especially birds and bees. Accordingly, the information on the impacts related to different forms of wildlife as well as humans, should be provided to the  concerned  agencies  for  regulating  the  norms  for  notification  of  standards  for  safe limits of EMR taking into consideration the impacts on living beings.

## II. State/Local Bodies:

1. Regular  auditing  and  monitoring  of  EMR  should  be  conducted  in  urban  localities/ educational/hospital/industrial/residential/recreational premises and especially around the Protected Areas (PAs) and ecologically sensitive areas w.r.t. notified norms of Department of Telecommunications. Problematic towers from EMR point of view should be got suitably relocated/removed.
2. Bold signs and messages on the dangers of cell phone towers and associated radiations are displayed in and around the structures of the towers. In addition to these signs, use of visual daytime markers in areas of high diurnal raptor or waterfowl movements, should also be promoted.
3. Before  according  permission  for  construction  of  towers,  ecological  impact  assessment and review of installation sites will be essential in wildlife and/or ecologically important areas. The Forest Department should be consulted before installation of cell phone towers in and around PAs and zoos.

## III. State Environment and Forest Departments:

1. Regular awareness drive with high level of visibility through all forms of media, and in regional  languages  should  be  undertaken  by  the  State  Governments  and  concerned Departments to make people aware about various norms and standards with regard to cell phone towers and dangers of EMR from the same. Such notices should also be placed in all wildlife protected areas and zoos by the Forest Department.

## IV. Department of Telecommunications:

1. To  prevent  overlapping  of  high  radiation  fields,  new  towers  should  not  be  permitted within a radius of one kilometre of the existing towers. Sharing of passive infrastructure if  made  mandatory  for  Telecom  Service  Providers  can  minimize  need  of  having additional towers. If new towers must be built, these should be constructed with utmost care and precautions so as not to obstruct flight path of birds, and also not to increase the combined radiations from all towers in the area.
2. The  location  and  frequencies  of  cell  phone  towers  and  other  towers  emitting  EMR, should  be  made available  in  public  domain.  This  can  be  at  city/  district/  village  level. Location-wise GIS mapping of all cell phone towers should be maintained which would, inter alia, help in monitoring the population of birds and bees in and around the mobile towers and also in and/or around wildlife protected areas.
3. There is an urgent need to refine the Indian standard on safe limits of exposure to EMR, keeping in view the available literature on impacts on various life forms. Till such time the  Indian  standards  are  reformed,  a  precautionary  approach  shall  be  preferred  to minimize the exposure levels and adopt stricter norms possible, without compromising on optimum performance of the networks.

## V. All concerned agencies:

1. Security  lighting  for  on-ground  facilities  should  be  minimized,  and  as  far  as  possible, point downwards or be down-shielded to avoid bird hits.
2. Any study conducted on impact of EMF radiation on wildlife needs to be shared with Forest  Department  and  Department  of  Telecommunications  to  facilitate  appropriate policy formulations.

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