Holy Makkah is all set to welcome Hajj pilgrims
Dr. Mozammel Haque
The
area of Grand Masjid, Masaa, Mataf and other holy sites such as Mina, Arafat, and
Muzdalifah remains the same but the number of pilgrims is increasing year after
year. The authorities who are responsible for Haramain have to think and ponder
how to cope up with the ever-increasing number of pilgrims and how to
accommodate them with the facilities so that they can perform their religious
rituals with ease and comfort.
That’s
why; the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques designed a Project of the Century
for one of the largest expansions of the Grand Mosque and other holy sites,
such as Masaa, Mataf, Mina and Arafat. The Saudi authorities employed all their
resources and energies to provide all the necessary facilities for the performance
of Hajj with east and comfort. It employed all its departments for the Health
care, transportation, safety & security measures, etc.
Grand Haramain Expansion Project
Expansion of the Grand Mosque
The
current expansion being implemented in the Grand Mosque was the largest of its
kind with an area covering 400,000 square metres. Once completed, it will
accommodate two million Muslims. The expansion projects consist of courtyards,
bridges, health centres, a civil defence centre, and a polyclinic.
According
to Sheikh Abdul Rahman al-Sudais, head of the Presidency for the Affairs of the
Two Holy Mosques, Tipped as the ‘Project of the Century,’ the King
Abdullah Expansion of the Grand Mosque is estimated to cost more than SR100
billion. The total area of the existing mosque is 356,000 square meters with a
capacity to accommodate 770,000 worshipers while the new expansion will
accommodate an additional 1.2 million. The project includes expansion of Mataf
in order to increase its capacity from 48,000 to 130,000 per hour.
Mataf
expansion: capacity now
70,000
per hour
The
expansion of Al-Masaa can now accommodate 188,000 Muslims per hour and the
Mataf area can accommodate 105,000 Muslims an hour. King Abdullah Construction
Project focuses on crowd management and the development of public transport
networks. Prince Khaled said this gigantic public transport project for Makkah
will cost SR69 billion and will be implemented in three phases.
The
Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques Affairs plans to open the newly constructed
levels of the “MATAF” (area for circumambulating the House of God) on the
ground and first floors to worshippers during the current Hajj season, bringing
the Mataf capacity to nearly 70,000 per hour.
The
first phase of the project to enhance the capacity of the Mataf will be fully
opened for worshippers during Hajj. The width of the area parallel to the
‘Masaa’ on this level has been increased to 51 metres.
Director
General of Projects and Studies at the Presidency, Abdul Mohsen bin Homaid said
in a statement, since the upper level of the temporary Mataf had been allocated
to disabled worshippers since Ramadan, the lower level will now be linked to
the ground floor of the Mosque to facilitate the movement of the worshippers on
the ground floor. It will ensure smooth movement between the first area of
expansion and the areas coveted in the first phase of the current project.
Homaid
also said the first phase of the Mataf ground floor was the most significant
since there were frequent bottlenecks hindering the movement of pilgrims. A new
bridge project would minimize bottlenecks occurring in the southern square
between the royal palace walls and the walls of the southern Al-Safa dome. It
will double the space available for movement with the addition of an upper
level to it linking with the first floor, giving flexibility needed for crowd
management and separation of crowd movement in opposite directions.
Completion
of the bridge on the southern square will enable smooth crowd movement from the
eastern square to the first floor through four entrances, including Al-Arqam
Escalator, Safa Round, upper part of the Bab Ismail and the Ajyad Bridge, said
Homaid.
MINA
– Room for 185,000 more in Mina.
The
move to shift government departments from Mina to a new administration complex
in Muzdalifah would create 23 percent extra space in the tent city to
accommodate 185,000 more pilgrims this year, said Sultan Al-Dossary, spokesman
of the Makkah governorate.
The new
building complex, located in Muzdalifah’s borders, will have13 buildings with
3,200 offices and housing units in addition to a helipad and a huge water tank
with a capacity of 36,000 cubic meters of water.
The
first phase of the complex has been completed on an area of 1 million square
meters. Most of the non-essential government agencies would be shifted to the
new facility, he said. The project’s second phase would be implemented in due
course to move the remaining government agencies from Mina within a few years.
Jamarat
Bridge: can admit
300,000
pilgrims per hour
Al-Jamarat
Bridge has now five floors and can admit 300,000 pilgrims per hour and another
seven floors will be built in the future to accommodate five million pilgrims.
Around SR. 300 billion has been allocated for Makkah’s road projects, it is
reported.
The
Jamarat Bridge was constructed to have up to 12 storeys so as to accommodate
the increasing number of pilgrims, said Prince Dr. Mansour Bin Miteb, Saudi
Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs. He said more storeys will be added if
and when needed.
Besides
the expansion and development of the Holy sites, the Custodian of the Two Holy
Mosques King Abdullah and his government have to arrange lot of things in order
to make pilgrims perform Hajj with easy and comfort. These are the facilities such
as health care; transportation, cleanliness, safety and security.
Health
and Heath care
During
Hajj when more than millions of pilgrims will be gathering in a very small
place, health is always an important factor.
Health
regulations for pilgrims
The
Saudi Ministry of Hajj has reiterated its people above 65 years of age, those
with chronic diseases and with immune deficiency, malignancy and terminal
illnesses, pregnant women and children under 12 years of age to postpone Hajj
and Umrah this year for their own safety.
To
curb the respiratory infectious disease, the Ministry advised all intending
pilgrims to comply with common public health guidelines like frequently washing
hands with soap and water or disinfectant, using disposable tissues when
coughing or sneezing and disposing it of in the waste basket, avoiding as much
as possible hand contact with the eyes, nose and mouth, avoiding direct contact
with people with symptoms of infection such as cough, sneeze, expectoration,
vomiting, and diarrhea, wearing masks, and maintaining good personal hygiene.
Make
Hajj epidemic free
The Saudi
Health Ministry recommended that international pilgrims as well as Saudi
Arabia’s residents planning to perform Hajj should be vaccinated against
seasonal influenza. It also said that in accordance with the International
Health Regulations 2005, all travellers arriving from countries or areas at
risk of yellow fever must present a valid yellow fever vaccination certificate
showing that the person was vaccinated at least 10 days before arrival.
SR12m
cash injection to keep Hajjis
In
good health
The
Saudi Ministry of Health (MoH) has allocated SR12 million for stocking up on
medicine for the treatment of Hajj pilgrims in Makkah and Madinah, according to
a top official. Yacoub Al-Mazroa, undersecretary for supplies and engineering
affairs, said his department was ready to get emergency patients admitted to
hospitals after administration of first aid.
Huge
quantities of medicine and vaccines have been stocked up to meet demand, he
said, adding that vaccination against meningitis was mandatory
for all pilgrims. Vaccination should be administered 10 days before departure
and is only active for a period of three years.
Steps
taken to tackle MERS in Hajj
The
Saudi Minister of Health, Dr. Abdullah al-Rabeeah, said that the Ministry has
mobilized all its resources to make its Hajj plan a resounding success. About
22,500 staffers, equipped with all necessary facilities and 50 ambulances, will
be engaged in health services for pilgrims, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA)
reported. The Ministry has allocated SR10 million for making available highly
advanced facilities at health centres and hospitals at Holy sites.
All
precautionary measures have been taken to prevent the outbreak of
MERS-coronavirus during Hajj. The Minister Dr. Al-Rabeeah also explained the
measures taken by the Ministry to deal with MERS and swine flu viruses. “The
Ministry won’t prevent any pilgrim from performing Hajj. However, it advises
the elderly and the chronic patients to postpone their plan for Hajj this
year,” he said.
Hospitals
in Makkah ready for pilgrims
The
Saudi Ministry of Health has made all arrangements to provide quality health
care to Hajj pilgrims this year. The Ministry has readied 25 hospitals in
Makkah, Madinah and the holy sites with a total of 5,250 beds. These include seven
hospitals in Makkah, nine in Madinah, and four each in Mina and Arafat, in
addition to King Abdullah Medical City. There are also 141 permanent and
temporary health centres, including 43 in Makkah, 80 at the holy sites and 12
in Madinah, besides 17 emergency centres on Jamrat Bridge. Some 16,000 blood
units consisting of all blood groups have been made available. There are four
helipads at the hospitals of Hera, Al-Nour, Arafat and Mina Emergency to attend
to emergency cases.
Prompt
steps ensure pilgrims stay healthy
The
Saudi Ministry of Health (MoH) has been closely monitoring the health condition
of incoming Hajj pilgrims from all parts of the world, a senior MoH official
said. Health officials are monitoring pilgrims at 14 ports of entry, said
Mohammed Hamzah Khosheim, deputy health minister for planning and development.
“They are expected to take preventive and curative measures to keep infection
in check.”
MERS
safety: Pilgrims must wear masks
The
Saudi Ministry of Health advised Hajj pilgrims to wear face masks in the Holy
cities to protect themselves from the deadly MERS virus. Dr. Nazreen Sherbini,
a specialist in infectious diseases and influenza, said MERS is transmitted
through droplets from coughing and sneezing. “Pilgrims should wear protective
masks that cover the noses and mouths in crowded places and follow basic health
etiquette while sneezing or coughing, she said. To prevent MERS spreading in
the holy cities, she said the Ministry has asked the elderly with chronic
diseases to postpone their Hajj.
MoH
mobilises 22,500 workers for Hajj
The
Saudi Minister of Hajj, Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah said that the Ministry has
mobilized 22,500 medical and administrative workers to implement its Hajj plan.
He said that there are 25 hospitals and 141 health centres in Makkah and
Madinah to serve pilgrims. These hospitals have 5,250 beds, including 500 in
intensive care units, 4,200 in special departments, and 550 in emergency
divisions, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Al-Rabeeah
said the hospitals include seven in Makkah, nine in Madinah, four in Mina and
Arafat, in addition to King Abdullah Medical City. There are 43 health centres
in Makkah, 80 at holy sites, 15 in Madinah, and 17 emergency centres on Jamarat
and health centres at the Makkah Haram.
MashaerTrain
The Mashaer Railway network linking Makkah to Mina, Arafat
and Muzdalifah helps immensely in reducing traffic bottlenecks during the peak
season. The railway transports pilgrims between the holy sites to reduce
congestion caused by buses and cars during the Hajj. Local authorities estimate
that the railway has replaced around 50,000 buses, promising a safer and more
comfortable pilgrimage.
The Hajj affairs transport department official said: “There
are 20 trains, each 300 meter long and with a capacity of 3,500 pilgrims per
trip. The trains will be transporting about 72,000 pilgrims in an hour, and
over six hours 500,000 pilgrims from Makkah to Mina and then from Mina to
Arafat. The official said that there are about 4,000 job opportunities for them
to work as security guards and administrators to provide support to
pilgrims during the peak season.
“The Ministry of Hajj plans to reduce the capacity of
trains to 377,000 pilgrims this year as part of its measures to avoid repeating
travel delays and other issues that arose last year,” reported in the press.
The Director
of Projects at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, Saud bin Hamdan al-Dikri,
said a series of measures have been taken to avoid stampedes at the Mashaer
Railway stations at the Holy sites. We have contracted a specialized company to
board pilgrims onto the Mashaer trains in an orderly way and supervise its
electronic gates, Al-Dikri said. There is also a plan to build barriers at
railway stations to control the movement of passengers. He said illegal Hajjis
would not be allowed to squat in public places close to the stations.
Pilgrims
utilizing Mashaer trains during this year's Hajj will have camps designated
near the train station in Arafat and Mina. The head of the Makkah branch of the
Ministry of Hajj, Yaseen Fatani, said a special route will also be designated
for these pilgrims, leading from their camps to the train stations. These
procedures are meant to ensure the safety and security of the pilgrims. The
Ministry will make sure that the pilgrims in the camps have train tickets and
teams have been formed for this purpose. The team members will have special
uniform to distinguish them.
Zamzam
for pilgrims .
The
head of the Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, Sheikh
Abdurrahman al-Sudais said more Zamzam thermos containers have been made
available inside the Grand Mosque and its courtyards. “More than 300 tons of Zamzam
water is being transported to Madinah on a daily basis and there are 13,000
containers that have been set up at the mosque and its courtyards, he said.
Saudia’s
Zamzam Gesture for Hajjis
Saudi
Arabian Airlines will airlift gallons of Zamzam water for Hajj pilgrims ahead
of their return to home country for the first time this year, said a top airline
official. “We have made arrangements to collect and distribute 200,000 gallons
of Zamzam water during this Hajj season,” said Essam Fouad Nour, executive
general manager of the carrier at King Abdulaziz International Airport.
Hajj
flights that return without passengers will be used to transport Zamzam
gallons. Pilgrims will be given a gallon of water each on arrival at airports.
The Saudia manager said the Jeddah station would handle 976 Hajj flights of the
national carrier this year, including scheduled flights, adding that they would
carry more than 200,000 pilgrims from international stations and nearly 18,000
domestic pilgrims.
Golf
carts to transport pilgrims
The
General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Mosques has begun using three
golf carts at the peripheries of the Central Area to transport elderly
pilgrims, Umrah performers and the disabled round the clock from three points —
the northern courtyards, eastern courtyards and the courtyards opposite King
Abdul Aziz Gate.
Women
staff to help pilgrims
The
Ministry of Hajj plans to employ women in Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah to help
process pilgrims arriving for Umrah and Hajj, according to an official from the
Ministry. “The women will work on programs for the reception of pilgrims,
support all administrative programs, transcription programs, and translation
duties,” said Abdullah Marghalani, assistant undersecretary and director
general of the Ministry’s branch in Jeddah.
Collection
of waste during Hajj
The
Makkah Municipality is deploying 23,050 seasonal
workers for this year’s Hajj, with 7,800 specifically allocated to work in
Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah, according to the city’s Mayor. Osama Al-Bar said
in a statement released recently that the city’s cleaning teams work around the
clock. In the central area, over 10,900 workers are deployed in 670 teams. The
Municipality is making logistical arrangements for the collection of 14,000
tons of waste during this Hajj. It has already dispatched 1,025 pieces of
cleaning equipment to the holy sites, said Al-Bar.
The Mayor said that the government would get assistance
this year from volunteers including Saudi scouts and students from
universities, colleges and public health institutes.
Toilets
More
than 1,500 toilets will be constructed, bringing the total number of toilets to
6,000 in the area between Dar Al-Tawhid to the north and the former Ajyad
hospital to the south of the area. This is in addition to the construction of
13,000 additional toilets in the northern squares, which will be partly commissioned
during the current Hajj season, it is reported.
There
were the final preparations of the second phase of a project to build an
additional 36,000 toilets in the immediate areas around the holy sites, in
addition to 22,000 new toilets at Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat.
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