Pollution Closes Haifa Schools; Residents Advised to Stay Indoors

Two schools in Haifa, "Hevrati" and "Arazim," located near the Bazan oil refinery, have had their classes canceled for Monday. The decision was made by the Ministry of Health in coordination with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Kiryat Ata municipality. Educational activities may be relocated. Residents within a one-kilometer radius of the refinery, particularly children and pregnant women, are advised to limit outdoor activities. Workers in the industrial zone are encouraged to keep windows closed and use air conditioning. Both ministries will reassess the situation on Tuesday based on monitoring data and update the public.

Recent maintenance and repair work on the Haifa refinery, stemming from damage sustained during military operations, led to exceptionally high benzene levels detected on October 9-10. Environmental monitoring stations near the "Deshanim" industrial zone in Kiryat Ata recorded these elevated concentrations. Consequently, the Ministry of Environmental Protection ordered a halt to the maintenance work. The ministry continues to pursue a government policy of gradually phasing out petrochemical operations in Haifa Bay, though the Bazan complex has not yet been removed from the region.