Fear of air pollution: The huge fire that has raged since last Friday at the pirate waste site in the community of Shfar'am, is beginning to pollute the air throughout the region and severely affect a number of communities in the Galilee. These are the city itself and the communities of Alon HaGalil, Bir al-Maksur, Mitzpe Adi and Shimshit.
Unusual air pollution: Smoke from fire at a waste site in the north endangers residents in the area // Samer Saleh Ministry of Environmental Protection
In fact, as of last Friday, the Ministry of Environmental Protection's environmental hotline received inquiries about odor hazards and reports of the following symptoms: burning in the poor, tears, difficulty breathing, coughing and asthma attacks.
The huge fire at the pirate waste site in Shfar'am, photo: Ariel Ben Ami, Ministry of Environmental Protection
As a result, the Ministry of Environmental Protection conducted monitoring to examine air quality in the area. According to data measured by the ministry's emergency drives deployed in the field, no very high concentrations of respiratory particles were found in these communities, but at the same time there are strong smells of waste burning.
In light of this, the Ministry of Health recommends that cardiopulmonary patients, the elderly, children and pregnant women avoid being outside unnecessarily. The rest of the population is advised to reduce physical activity outdoors, close windows and operate air conditioning.
Heavy air pollution: Smoke from a fire at a waste site in the north endangers residents in the area, photo: Samer Saleh, Ministry of Environmental Protection
As you may recall, yesterday (Monday), the Northern District of the Ministry of Environmental Protection issued an administrative order to prevent or reduce air pollution to the Shfar'am municipality, in which it was required to act to stop the fire and remove the hazard immediately. The Ministry of Environmental Protection continues to monitor the implementation of the requirements of the order, with the aim of reducing the hazard and preserving the health and quality of life of the residents, and will act in accordance with its powers.
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