No Du, Etisalat towers near air routes, heritage sites

Dubai Municipality has released a guide of environmental requirements for wireless communication stations and towers pertaining to its sites, installation and operation in the emirate of Dubai with the aim to raise the standard of environmental services.

Hind Mahmoud, Head of Environmental Studies and Planning Section of Environment Department at Dubai Municipality said this move comes to improve the environmental service rendered for the public in tune with the updates in the field as well as to regulate construction and installation of wireless stations and towers in accordance with the approved environmental standards ensuring a sustainable environmental development in the emirate especially after the telecommunication sector has become the most important and vital sector that witnesses a rapid growth in the region.

She explained that the guide included several topics, including environmental requirements for designing an selecting sites of communication towers, regulations for installation and operation, requirements to get environmental permission in addition to the safe exposure limits for electromagnetic radiation frequencies.

Officials from Dubai Municipality held a technical meeting recently with stakeholders in the telecommunications sector of the emirate in order to discuss the contents of the guide and the most important requirements and environmental standards.

"The Environmental Permit will not be granted if the stations and towers impact on the air routes, heritage sites or natural reserves. The meeting also discussed the mechanisms and ways to enhance cooperation and coordination between the parties to realise the vision of sustainability in the emirate," she said.

She also stressed the need to comply with all environmental standards contained in the technical guide, which has been developed in accordance with best international practices and standards of The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).

According to her, the Dubai Municipality will work on updating the guide according to the latest developments and environmental requirements. The guide has been published in Arabic and English on the website of Dubai Municipality.

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