MINA — Afforestation projects in the holy sites have contributed in cooling the weather to help Hajj pilgrims perform their rituals smoothly during this season. A report by Al-Ekhbariya news channel showed the increased contribution of afforestation to easing the weather in Arafat, where the pilgrim stay for a long time under the sun to perform the wuqoof (standing), which marks the climax of the annual pilgrimage. Afforestation is one of the most prominent environmental projects that Saudi Arabia pays great attention to protect pilgrims from sunstroke, especially as the Hajj now falls in peak summer. According to the National Center of Meteorology (NCM), Arafat recorded the highest temperature in the Kingdom on Tuesday at 48 degrees Celsius. As part of Saudi Arabia's efforts to improve the air quality during Hajj this year, Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah said his ministry intensified afforestation work to reach 130,000 trees, which comes within the framework of developing the vegetation cover of the holy sites. The provision of green cover comes within the project to develop a 20,000 square meter area adjacent to Jabal Al-Rahma, announced by Kadana Development Company. The Makkah Green initiative is one of the most prominent projects of the Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites (RCMC). It is an extension of the Saudi Green Initiative (SGI) and the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) announced by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman to plant 50 billion trees, which is considered the world's largest reforestation program.
