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Phone firms ordered not to put up towers before environmental research
2008-08-19 09:58:52
By Correspondent Felister Peter
Mobile phone companies have been ordered to stop erecting transmission towers without carrying out environmental impact assessments (EIA) that are approved by the National Environment Management Council (NEMC).
Announcing the decision in Dar es Salaam yesterday, NEMC director general Bonaventure Baya said they had received many complaints about the transmission towers causing disturbance to the people.
He said that about 50 people living at Tabata Kimanga and Baruti in Dar es Salaam have filed their complaints with the council. Others are from Msasani Penisula, Kijitonyama, Kimara, Mkuranga and Magomeni.
He said Chapter 191 of the Environment Law and the national environmental inspection law of 2005 states that construction of transmission towers should not be done until the EIA has been carried out.
He said the same law, Chapter 81, states that provision of permission or license does not authorise construction of transmission towers without the approval of EIA.
Meanwhile, NEMC said yesterday that it is planning a stakeholders meeting that will discuss the possibility of mobile phone firms to share transmission towers.
He said the meeting would be attended by local government authorities, Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA), mobile phone firms and the Tanzania Atomic Energy Commission (TAEC).
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