(live here) – Delay in implementing the first phase of the historic agreement signed in August 2024 between the Haifa Municipality and the XNUMX Company for the evacuation of the container farms in Kiryat Haim.
According to the agreement, the first phase was to begin in January 2025, and would involve the demolition of the northern row of tanks, which includes nine tanks adjacent to the residential buildings and educational institutions on Degania Street in Kiryat Haim. The timetables set included the demolition of tanks 44, 45 and 125 within six months of the signing date, and subsequently, the demolition of additional tanks in phases lasting up to 30 months from the signing date.
In addition, the agreement stipulates that within 24 months of the date of operation of the new distillate port, the old fuel port and the 20 dunam farm used for fuel storage will be evacuated. After the tanks are evacuated, the TSA must begin cleaning the contaminated land to enable the development of the area by the municipality.
Tank demolition approved – but execution delayed
The Haifa Municipality's Planning and Building Subcommittee, headed by Deputy Mayor, Attorney Sarit Golan-Steinberg, approved in January 2024 the demolition of the first five tanks on the front facing Degania Street. Despite this approval, the actual evacuation has not yet begun, which raises questions among residents of the area and environmental activists.
The tanks, some of which are inactive, were used to store crude oil and posed an environmental and safety hazard due to their poor state of maintenance. Prior to their dismantling, the tanks underwent thorough cleaning in a closed system in accordance with the Ministry of Environmental Protection's guidelines and strict safety guidelines.
Are the municipality and the 571 company meeting their obligations?
Kiryat Haim residents and environmental activists express concern about the delays in implementing the agreement.
Ziv Fishman, a social and environmental activist from Kiryat Haim and a member of the Kiryat Haim committee, describes in a conversation with haipo The significant gap between promises and reality regarding the evacuation of the tank farms: "In August 2024, the Haifa Municipality and the XNUMX Company signed a historic agreement to evacuate the tank farms in Kiryat Haim – an important and significant step for the environment and the residents of the area. Minister Eli Cohen even welcomed the move, and it seemed that the long and exhausting public struggle had finally borne fruit. Everyone celebrated, and rightly so, but since then – the reality has been far from the celebratory declarations.
According to the agreement, the first phase of evacuation was supposed to begin in January 2025, with the demolition of nine containers adjacent to residential buildings and educational institutions on Degania Street. Now, at the end of March 2025, not even half a bulldozer is visible on the ground. We understand that there are bureaucratic processes and approvals required from various institutions, but where is the public reflection? Where does the project stand? What is delaying its start, and what barriers are preventing its implementation? Just as the Haifa Municipality knew how to publicize the signing of the agreement on all media channels, so we now expect to receive an up-to-date picture of the situation and clear explanations for the residents of Kiryat Haim."
Haifa Municipality informed Haifa News Corporation
The request to demolish the first tanks was discussed about a month ago and approved with conditions, including obtaining approval from the Ministry of Environmental Protection, in order to ensure the safety of the evacuation. The professional municipal officials are conducting monitoring and working meetings intended to assist in promoting the receipt of the safety and environmental approvals required for issuing a permit and carrying out the actual evacuation of the tanks by 571.