Radiation worry eased for residents
Kampung Cheras Baru residents in Selangor have received an assurance of safety following years of anxiety over radiation levels from nearby telecommunications towers.
Readings from nearby telecommunications towers in Kampung Cheras Baru show that radiation levels are within acceptable limits.
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Kampung Cheras Baru residents in Selangor have received an assurance of safety following years of anxiety over radiation levels from nearby telecommunications towers.
Initial tests have shown that the radiation level in the village is within permissible limits.
Malaysian Nuclear Agency research officer Rozaimah Abdul Rahim said readings taken at points nearest to the telecommunication towers in the village showed levels of 3 volts per metre.
“This is within the World Health Organisation’s limit of 48 volts per metre,” said Rozaimah (left) who, along with four other officers, collected the readings using portable ultrasonic devices.
However, an official report will only be ready in the next three weeks, but will include readings from eight other points in the village, taken at different times of the day.
Rozaimah also agreed to the residents’ request that a device be placed in the area for the next 24 hours to determine the peak radiation level.
The towers belong to telecommunications providers Digi, UMobile and P1Wimax, and are placed on the rooftop of a double-storey shoplot located in the midst of the houses.
When contacted, Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) officer Khairul Anizam Azman said that there is regulation on the minimum acceptable distance from houses for rooftop-placed telecommunication towers.
“The MPAJ and Housing and Local Government Ministry standard states that only ground level towers have to be at least 20m from residential buildings,” he said.
All rooftop telecommunication towers require an annual renewable permit, but those in Kampung Cheras Baru have yet to be issued a permit for this year.
“We are waiting for the results of the radiation tests and feedback from the residents. Even if the radiation level is low, residents may object because the towers are an eyesore” said Khairul Anizam of the building and architecture department.
Jenice Lee, the DAP assemblyperson for Teratai, has called for another meeting to present the nuclear agency’s official findings and for the residents to make a decision about the towers.
“The decision will be made at a consensus meeting, instead of via a petition, as there are many migrants living in the area. They may be coerced into signing, regardless of their views,” she explained.
