JEDDAH — The number of Al-Mashaer Train passengers can be increased to 500,000 when necessary and there are contingency plans in place for this purpose, according to Abdullatif Al-Asheikh, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs. All departments in the ministry are ready to provide top-notch services to pilgrims and utilize the projects implemented in the holy sites to make pilgrims perform Haj more easily and comfortably. “We have assigned 23,000 employees to handle emergency cases during the Haj season and we are using over 2,000 equipment and machines for this purpose,” Al-Asheikh told Okaz/Saudi Gazette. The municipalities of Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah and Taif have been provided with all support they need to implement plans to monitor public health, safety of food products sold to pilgrims and take all necessary measures to ensure the environment is conducive to pilgrims' safety. The ministry has started working on the plans earlier this year, preparing the holy sites to receive pilgrims, intensify cleaning and environment health services in all places frequented by pilgrims. Gas stations and places that provide services to pilgrims on highways are also being monitored. Round-the-clock maintenance This year, the ministry has mobilized a large number of cleaners working in shifts all over Makkah to keep the streets clean. Maintenance teams run round-the-clock tests for the gargantuan projects supervised by the ministry such as Al-Jamarat Bridge, Al-Mashaer Train, slaughterhouses, restrooms in Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat and water connection points as well as reservoirs. The work of the teams is overseen by technical consultants and experts to make sure everything works without a glitch. “We have placed 500 cleaning machines in the holy sites to help field teams do their work as perfectly as possible and eliminate any environmental risks that might pose risks to the pilgrims' health,” he noted. Preparations for Arafat day The ministry has designed a special plan to deal with the large amount of waste on the day of Arafat. All dumpsters on site will be sprayed with non-harmful material and cleaners will use cylinders they carry on their backs for this purpose. Afterwards, garbage will be crushed and sent to larger dumpsters. The ministry runs 131 underground dumpsters that can handle 14,000 tons of waste, if necessary.
