Tents in Mina. (Reuters)
Fri 26 July 2019:
Several new projects will begin operation during this year’s Hajj to better serve pilgrims and improve services already provided. Among the completed projects are the expansion of several roads in the Mina region and the construction of several pedestrian walkways, said the Development of Makkah Region Authority.
One of the new projects is the pedestrian walkway adjacent to the King Abdullah road in Mina. Another is the expansion of road 206 and connecting it to road 204 by a tunnel. New residential and administrative buildings were constructed for the operators of the Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro line. Aide to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Makkah region Governor Prince Khalid al-Faisal oversaw the execution of the plans.
The plans are aimed at improving the services provided by the Makkah authority, starting with overseeing the operation of the Al Mashaaer metro line and the Jamarat rituals, the maintenance of toilets and handling the waste from the slaughter of sacrificial sheep.
The metro line connects Mina to Arafat and will accommodate more than 2 million pilgrims during the peak of the Hajj. Meanwhile, the Makkah Secretariat said that this year’s Hajj will witnessed the trial of a project to reduce temperatures at some Hajj locations.
Director general of the holy sites and seasons and the Holy Makkah Municipality Ahmed Manshi revealed that the project was established in cooperation with a Japanese company. It will target the pedestrian walkway in the Shaiben area that connects Mina to the Jamarat area, covering 3,500 meters. The Secretariat of the Holy Capital had coated the asphalt with temperature-reducing paint. The project will see the reduction of temperatures by 15 to 20 degrees Celsius. Temperatures will be measured every ten seconds by sensors installed beneath the asphalt.
If successful, the project could later be expanded to include the Jamarat area and several other walkways. Manshi said that a survey will be distributed to pilgrims to assess their satisfaction with the Hajj services and projects.
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