Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and all other government and private agencies concerned have completed their preparations to receive one million pilgrims in the tent city of Mina.
They gave finishing touches to their operational plans for this year’s Hajj season. The Commands of the Hajj Security Forces announced their readiness to ensure the security and safety of the pilgrims during the Hajj season, Saudi Gazette reported on Thursday.
Mina is the largest tent city in the world, extending over 2.5 million square meters with a capacity of about 2.6 million pilgrims. Mina’s City of Tents is one of the biggest projects executed by the Saudi government and serves pilgrims during the Hajj season to ensure their comfort and security.
The fire-proof tents are shaped in line with Islamic norms and designed to facilitate easy storage and installation. The tents provide communal areas, toilets and bathrooms, kitchens and electrical outlets, and are equipped with air-conditioning systems. Each tent is equipped with all safety measures such as water sprinklers that operate automatically and alert security staff.
The health sector provides medical and treatment services through four hospitals and 26 health centers in Mina with 550 beds and ambulance transport services, which consist of 100 small ambulances and 75 large ambulances. It also supports 97 ambulance centers affiliated with the Saudi Red Crescent Authority with a fleet of 320 ambulances, six air ambulances, nine motorcycles and four golf carts, in addition to four medical supply vehicles and 16 qualitative response vehicles, with 1,288 medical staff.
The National Water Company provided operational and strategic storage quantities to pump 2.4 million cubic meters through its networks, while the Saudi Electricity Company enhanced its services in Makkah and the holy sites through 46 new projects.
The Saudi Arabian Scouts Association has provided 2,200 scouts to serve the pilgrims in Mina. These voluntary efforts will support the governmental and private efforts to serve the pilgrims.—AP
