Tuesday, January 06, 2009
By Perwez Abdullah
Karachi
Thousands of people in Karachi live under High Tension Lines (HTL's) unmindful of the danger this poses to their health, a senior researcher at the University of Karachi has said. In Defence Housing Authority, one of the city's most upmarket localities, not only are houses constructed under HTLs but there is an entire row of marraige halls as well as a recreational club, The News has learnt.
The HTL crosses various areas of the city and in many places people have built their homes, a city survey has revealed. A 66,000 volts HTL is passing through the University of Karachi while a 132,000 volt line crosses the National Highway. Similarly, a 220,000 volt lines passes over Defence and a 500,000 volt line criss-crosses the city and originates from the HUBCO power plant in Balochistan.
Dr Surayya Khatoon, Professor and Chairman of Karachi University's Department of Botany has conducted research on plants that grow under the HTL to ascertain whether they are affected in any way. "The research is in the final stages. It is a much debated topic related to the health of plants and humans and we are pioneers of this research in Pakistan," the researcher told The News.
Read More...
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=155809
http://omega.twoday.net/topics/Power+Lines/
http://omega.twoday.net/search?q=cancer