Elaborate Arrangements for Haj, Says Al-Tuwaijeri

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Zainy Abbas, Arab News

Lt. Gen. Saad Al-Tuwaijeri

MAKKAH, 27 December 2006 —

The head of Civil Defense in Makkah said yesterday that authorities have implemented unprecedented emergency response measures for Haj that include more firefighters, emergency vehicles, and even rescue boats and divers in the event of flooding.

“We have made plans to face possible torrential rains and flash floods considering the geographic features of the region, particularly of the holy sites,” said Lt. Gen. Sa'ad ibn Abdullah Al-Tuwaijeri in an interview with Arab News.

In recent weeks Civil Defense authorities have implemented special training programs and drills, he said. The authorities have also constructed three high-capacity shelters, one each in Arafat, Mina and Muzdalifah.

“Our workers are geared up to launch the evacuation operation at the first sign of an emerging calamity,” said Al-Tuwaijeri.

Civil Defense officials in Makkah have mobilized approximately 12,000 officials, 3,332 vehicles and pieces of heavy equipment and a dozen helicopters to assist in any emergency. The Interior Ministry reported recently that a total of about 50,000 security and emergency personnel would be deployed in and around Makkah to respond to any emergencies.

The government has also distributed public safety presentations in several languages through its missions abroad in predominantly Muslim countries. “We’ve been doing this every year since 1994,” said Al-Tuwaijeri.

Various pilgrim safety awareness programs have also been broadcast on several satellite channels worldwide and aboard flights carrying pilgrims to the Kingdom. The department also distributes booklets, fliers and cassettes besides displaying safety information on billboards at selected locations where the pilgrims gather in the holy sites. Recent projects around Mina have increased the risk of rockslides from the surrounding mountains, but Al-Tuwaijeri said engineers have been working to remove boulders at risk of tumbling and have secured zones that are safe for the pilgrims.

Al-Tuwaijeri also said that authorities have increased their inspections of buildings that rent out apartments or rooms to the pilgrims in Makkah, adding that the department has uncovered approximately 6,000 violations for this season and have shut down 80 buildings for safety violations.

In January, during the last Haj, a building near the Grand Mosque that housed hundreds of pilgrims collapsed, killing 76. On Monday a fire broke out in a building next to the site of January’s building collapse, injuring 16 people. Witnesses said that authorities responded very quickly to Monday’s fire, which may have been sparked by a short circuit in the basement.

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