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Menace of Indiscriminately-Mounted Communication Masts(AllAfrica Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Communication masts located in residential and densely populated areas, portend danger for human beings and structures . The danger include the collapse of defective masts, noise pollution of the environment caused by generating sets that power base stations, as well as radioactive emissions. Before the advent of Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) in 2001, there were communication masts erected by internet service providers (ISPs), banks, and government agencies, for the purpose of transmitting and receiving communication signals. But the licensing of GSM operators such as MTN and Airtel in 2001, Globacom in 2003, and Etisalat in 2009, automatically increased the number of communication masts, as the operators also embarked on erecting their own masts in large numbers. Today, Nigeria has over 25, 000 erected masts from GSM operators alone and they are all littered across the airspace, combined with that of the ISPs, and banks. The increase in the number of communication masts in the Nigeria airspace, has no doubt, increased the dangers that are associated with masts. Today, most masts in the country pose danger to human lives and property, ranging from collapsed masts that have severally destroyed property worth millions of naira, and have killed several people in Lagos and other parts of the country, to the perceived gradual attack on the human system by the radioactive emissions from base transceiver stations (BTS), commonly known as base stations. Although there had been no full scientific proof that emissions from mast could affect the human systems, there is however, a general belief that the emissions over a long period of time, are capable of causing various degrees of cancer in human. Collapsed Masts The incessant collapse of communication masts belonging to banks and ISPs has continued to pose threat to lives and property in the country. There have been recorded cases of death and destruction of buildings and cars caused by collapsed masts in Lagos and other parts of the country. Last year, collapsed masts destroyed several cars and buildings in Surulere, Ikeja, Ikorodu, and Idumagbo area of Lagos, where two sustained injuries from a collapsed tower belonging to a bank in the area. A teacher was knocked down and killed by a collapsed mast in Nassarawa State last year. The latest hazard of collapsed mast is linked to Jubilee Savings & Loans Limited. Penultimate week, one of its masts in Lagos collapsed and killed a 52-year-old man in his residence. The deceased known as Mr. Adeolu Adeleke of No 52 Marina, Lagos met his untimely death when the defective mast collapsed after a heavy rainfall. The mast fell directly on the man who made attempt to escape from the danger but could not because it was a sudden collapse, according to an eye witness. According to sources, the firm offered the deceased family, N1 million for settlement of the death of the bread winner of the family. Confirming the incessant collapse of masts in Lagos, General Manager, Urban Furniture Regulatory Unit (UFRU), under the Lagos Ministry of Physical Planning, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, said the collapse of masts and the subsequent destruction of property as well as recorded death of people caused by collapsed masts had become a recurring decimal in Lagos. Igbokwe who blamed the incessant collapse of masts in Lagos on weak structural materials and lack of maintenance of masts, said the lifespan of any mast is 25 years, but explained that masts needed constant maintenance just the same way vehicles are serviced and maintained, in order for it to remain firm all through the 25-year lifespan. He lamented a situation where organisations would erect masts and leave then unattended to for several years. Igbokwe added that UFRU had in the past, carried out series of structural tests on some of the masts in Lagos and found out that nearly all masts in the state that are used by banks, ISPs, and some other companies are not only defective, but are prone to danger. He blamed collapse of masts on weak foundation, rusted joints, bad height, space problem, abandonment, lack of maintenance, and use of inferior materials in erecting masts. He said UFRU had designed a prototype mast for banks, ISPs and others for adoption and guide for the sake of safety and standards, but that most of them would prefer to erect masts without consulting UFRU for standard specifications. UFRU's Ultimatum Following the recent collapse of communication masts in Lagos, UFRU has given all masts users in Lagos a grace period of 60 days to go round their masts and evacuate every out-dated and defective mast and to immediately seek permit from UFRU to erect new ones. Igbokwe, who gave the order, said UFRU would be forced to carry out the evacuation exercise and pass the bills to mast owners, should they fail to adhere to UFRU's directive. Illegal Installation UFRU said henceforth it would be illegal to install masts, base stations and towers in Lagos without its permission. Igbokwe, who gave the warning, said the decision was to forestall deaths of persons and loss of property that could be caused by collapsed masts and towers, which he said, had become a recurring issue in the state. He gave instances of recorded deaths and loss of property, resulting from collapsed masts and towers in the state, especially the most recent one in Lagos, where a life was lost. "Going by the rate of collapsed masts in Lagos, it is now illegal to build masts, towers, base stations and other related structures without permit in Lagos State. It is therefore mandatory for all telecoms operators, banks, ISPS, or intending developers of telecommunications structure to apply to UFRU and obtain permit prior to carrying out any construction work on site," Igbokwe said. He added that in line with the law establishing UFRU, telecoms operators, ISPs, banks, builders of masts and other users, are henceforth mandated to forward the addresses and locations of all telecoms infrastructure in the state to the unit for better monitoring and determination of the integrity of the structure. According to him, UFRU had been mandated by the Lagos State government to regulate the placement of urban furniture, including telecommunications antennae, masts, towers on land and buildings in Lagos, and to approve and supervise the location, position, dimension, appearance, display and manner in which urban furniture shall be fixed to land. To enforce compliance, Igbokwe said UFRU shall from time to time, issue contravention notice, stop work order notice, and demolition and evacuation notice. Disturbing Sound Apart from mast collapse, some residents who live close to installed masts have complained bitterly that they get disturbed by the continuous sound from generating sets that are used to power base stations. Opinion polls conducted by THISDAY showed that tenants living in the same compound where most masts are installed in Lagos are not comfortable with the continuous sound from generating sets that power telecommunication masts. Mr. Friday Ogini, who lives in Ojodu, a suburb of Lagos, said a mast belonging to one of the telecoms operators is situated in their compound, generating constant noise that is disturbing. Asked why they allowed the operator to erect mast in a residential area, Ogini said the tenants were not consulted before the mast was erected. He however blamed the situation on the landlord, whom he alleged, may have collected money from the operator, to allow them erect the mast. BTS Emission Although people have identified sound from generating sets for BTS as disturbing, some others have raised fears that radioactive emissions from BTS, are liable to cause health risk in humans that are living close to telecommunication masts. Mr. Philips Abiodun, one of the tenants living in Ikeja, where mast belonging to a telecoms operator was erected, said his fellow tenants did not know if it is true or not that radioactive emissions from masts over a period of time, could cause health risk. "I have been living in the compound for close to three years now, and nobody had fallen ill and traced it to radioactive emission from the mast in the compound," he said. He however explained that the stories he heard about the effect of emissions, was that it takes a number of years to manifest in human. "I am afraid but I am also confused whether the story is true or not," Abiodun told THISDAY. However, Director, Regulatory Affairs at Airtel, Mr. Osundu Nwokoro, told THISDAY that radioactive emissions from telecoms masts had not been proven to have any health risks in human. According to him, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has not come up with any scientific study on the adverse effect of radioactive emissions from BTS. He called on Nigerian not to create unnecessary fears among people, since there had been no trace of health risk to radioactive emissions from BTS. Despite arguments for and against the belief on the effect of radiations from telecoms masts, Nigerians must guide against such perceived health risks and also guide against becoming victims of defective masts that always give way at the slightest wind storm and rainfall. Copyright This Day. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). |