The High Court (HC) yesterday directed the health ministry to get expert opinions from three international organisations  on public health risks relating to the radiation emitted by mobile phone towers located in different areas of the country.
The organisations are: World Health Organisation (WHO), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and International Commission of Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).
The HC bench of ustice Syed Refaat Ahmed and Justice Md Salim asked the government to submit a report by April 10. It also fixed the same date for further order on the issue.
The court also directed the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to comply with the recommendations made by the expert committee formed by the health ministry in 2013. The committee was formed to monitor mobile towers and formulate regulation and guidelines to reduce the radiation from mobile towers.
The BTRC has also been asked to submit a report to the HC by April 10. When contacted, BTRC chairman Shahjahan Mahmood told The Independent that they would comply with the HC's order. He said the International Telecom Union has set up a guideline for setting up mobile towers. “We're following the guideline. So, there is no need to formulate separate guidelines on the issue,” he added.
On March 22, the health ministry had submitted a report to the HC, stating that mobile phone towers emit excessive radiation across the country which is unsafe and harmful.
It has been found that towers of mobile phone operators emit
excessive radiation in Bangladesh. This is unsafe and harmful for public health and the environment, as per the guidelines of the WHO, the report said.
The report urged the HC to direct the BTRC to examine the base transceiver stations (BTSs) of mobile operators so that the radiation emitted by the towers can be reduced and kept under control in accordance with the WHO guidelines. It also suggested that the HC should direct the BTRC to regularly monitor the level of radiation emitted by the BTSs across the country. The posts and telecommunication ministry and the BTRC should be told to formulate rules  and guidelines for setting up BTSs, it further said.
In 2013, the expert committee prepared the report after examining radiation from some mobile towers in Dhaka city. The health ministry formed the five-member committee on March 24, 2013.
In October 2012, the HC had directed the government to examine the level of radiation from mobile phone towers and its impact on health and the environment. It had also asked the government submit two separate reports to it.
In response to a writ petition, the court asked the chairman of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) to examine the level of radiation after inspecting some mobile towers and submit a report within four weeks. Besides, it ordered the health secretary to form a seven-member committee within a week to assess the impact of radiation on the human body and the environment and submit a report.