Kiryat Malachi Residents Suffer From Severe Unidentified Odor and Fainting

Residents of a new residential building on Rav Mordechai Eliyahu Street in Kiryat Malachi report suffering for a year from a potent odor penetrating their apartments, elevators, and stairwells. According to the residents, the hazard causes severe health issues, including vomiting, headaches, rashes, and fainting episodes. Despite repeated appeals to authorities and emergency services, residents state that no clear response has been provided regarding the source of the odor or the potential danger.

One resident, Hallel, described the distress her family faces. "After my husband lost consciousness this week, last night my child wouldn't stop vomiting," Hallel said. "We can't take it anymore. We are helpless. For a year we have been sounding the alarm. What else needs to happen for someone to take responsibility? We must not wait for a disaster."

Karnit, another resident, added that parents in the building fear long-term health damage. Another resident reported rashes around her eyes, and photos provided by locals show skin redness, although a medical link between the symptoms and the odor has not yet been definitively proven.

In the building's WhatsApp group, dozens of messages accumulate daily describing mounting distress. Some residents report that the odor is particularly acute in the early morning hours, penetrating apartments even with windows shut. "On the first floor, I couldn't breathe until I fled the building," one resident wrote, while another shared that the smell fills her entire home and triggers severe migraines.

Residents note that the odor is intensely strong in the parking area and near the electrical room, with some suspecting the source lies near the transformer room. Elisheva, a resident, said she noticed a gas-like smell near her parking spot over a year ago. She noted that the scent intensified and spread around the electrical room over time.

Locals stated that a gas company conducted an inspection and reported no gas leak, yet the nuisance persists daily. They added that the Israel Electric Corporation was notified about three months ago and informed that the issue was under review, but test results have not yet been provided to them.

The Kiryat Malachi municipality stated in response that it is continuously monitoring the residents' complaints and working with professional bodies to locate the source of the odor. Municipal representatives have visited the site multiple times and accompanied inspections by the water corporation, the gas company, and the Israel Electric Corporation, which yielded no anomalous findings. The municipality noted that Mayor Eliyahu Zohar visited the site, urged the Israel Electric Corporation to expedite tests, and stated that soil laboratory results are still pending.

Recently, the mayor sent an official letter to the Israel Electric Corporation, Gindi Holdings, and the landowner, demanding urgent remediation and a specialized expert inspection to locate the odor hazard and sample air pollutants. The municipality emphasized that although it is private property, it will continue to coordinate with all relevant parties until the source of the odor is identified and resolved.