The Makkah Municipality has set up a special committee comprising of the Deputy Mayor and heads of all major departments, to supervise civic services during the holy month of Ramadan, said Mayor Dr. Osama Fadhl Al-Bar, a member of the Central Haj Committee. In an interview with the Saudi Gazette, Al-Bar said the responsibility of the Municipal Corporation will increase tremendously with the influx of about two million visitors to the holy city during Ramadan. He said, however, that the municipality is fully geared up with 4,664 employees working in teams around the clock to keep the city clean. Over 300 street sweeping and garbage compressor trucks as well as small tractors to lift garbage have been pressed into service. The corporation has provided 123 pressurized garbage containers, 45 of which have been placed around the Grand Mosque, to ensure that trash does not decompose and create a bad smell. The garbage is frequently collected and taken to seven major landfills. One hundred and ninety vehicles are being used to spray the city with insecticides to eliminate the possibility of any disease. Out of the 4,664 workers, about 100 are kept in reserve along with 12 inspectors and 10 additional trash trucks to meet any emergency. Al-Bar said several committees have also been formed to check restaurants, grocery stores, barbershops, and portable water stations to ensure that they all meet health and safety standards. Random samples are collected and tested in the corporation lab, and workers' health certificates are also checked. Shopkeepers are fined for failing to move expired items, and cafeteria trucks in six parking lots around the city are also being regularly checked. Vendors in open air markets and bakeries are regularly being inspected. A committee supervises the vegetable markets at Jarwal and Kakia, and the illegal sale of herbs and of unregistered medicines has been banned, Al-Bar said. He added that inspectors also visit hotels and other accommodations to see that the buildings are up to standard. They talk to visitors and check to see if the hotels lack any amenities. The Municipal Corporation has eight substations with inspectors to attend to any complaint. Authorities are especially concerned about the safety of abattoirs. Animals are regularly checked and five slaughter houses have veterinarians who check the lungs and the liver of every animal. Meat shops are regularly inspected to make sure that they meet the appropriate standards of hygiene. The Municipal Corporation is responsible for the maintenance of general services, such as, roads, tunnels, street and tunnel lighting, sewage and water systems and public toilets. Six parking lots are equipped with mosques, toilets, cafeterias and buses to take visitors to the Grand Mosque.
