Lok Sabha Question No. 3655 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-03-17
Subject: EMF Radiations From Mobile Towers
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Aparajita Sarangi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3655 TO BE ANSWERED ON 17 TH  MARCH, 2021

## DELAY IN PAYMENT FROM MTNL TO DDA

## EMF Radiations From Mobile Towers

## 3655.   SHRIMATI APARAJITA SARANGI:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (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?

## ANSWER

## 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:

| 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                               |

(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.

The LSA-wise details of growth in number of mobile towers during the last three year:

| LSA-wise Number of Towers added   | LSA-wise Number of Towers added   | LSA-wise Number of Towers added   | LSA-wise Number of Towers added   | LSA-wise Number of Towers added   |
|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
| SN                                | LSA                               | Towers added during FY 2017-18    | Tower added during FY 2018-19     | Towers added during FY 2019-20    |
| 1                                 | Andhra Pradesh                    | 2257                              | 5617                              | 3195                              |
| 2                                 | Assam                             | 482                               | 1597                              | 1672                              |
| 3                                 | Bihar                             | 3430                              | 5105                              | 6663                              |
| 4                                 | Delhi                             | 3017                              | 3790                              | 2336                              |
| 5                                 | Gujarat                           | 1087                              | 5030                              | 4232                              |
| 6                                 | Himachal Pradesh                  | 46                                | 1486                              | 686                               |
| 7                                 | Haryana                           | 597                               | 2068                              | 788                               |
| 8                                 | Jammu &Kashmir                    | 440                               | 1392                              | 403                               |
| 9                                 | Karnataka                         | 597                               | 6112                              | 3963                              |
| 10                                | Kolkata                           | 1776                              | 2102                              | 1608                              |
| 11                                | Kerala                            | 197                               | 1139                              | 943                               |
| 12                                | Mumbai                            | 688                               | 1051                              | 712                               |
| 13                                | Maharashtra                       | 646                               | 4632                              | 5627                              |
| 14                                | Madhya Pradesh                    | 1253                              | 8902                              | 4013                              |
| 15                                | North East                        | 332                               | 1077                              | 1574                              |
| 16                                | Odisha                            | 651                               | 1918                              | 2030                              |
| 17                                | Punjab                            | 841                               | 2040                              | 599                               |
| 18                                | Rajasthan                         | 1016                              | 4518                              | 3023                              |
| 19                                | Tamilnadu                         | -663                              | 3954                              | 3356                              |
| 20                                | UP (East)                         | -24                               | 2613                              | 5751                              |
| 21                                | UP (West)                         | 1893                              | 3348                              | 2319                              |
| 22                                | West Bengal                       | 1048                              | 3025                              | 2997                              |
| Grand Total                       | Grand Total                       | 21607                             | 72525                             | 58483                             |

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