Saudi Arabia announced the development of a project to reduce temperatures in order to provide some respite to pilgrims at the Makkah’s holy sites.
The project aims to provide temperature reduction from 15C to 20C, where temperatures will be recorded every 10 seconds during the season through sensors placed under the asphalt.
It has begun coating asphalt as a way to reduce heat at the holy sites. The project included in the first stage the coating of the pedestrian road at Mina Gate leading to the Jamarat facility.
The coating was done over a total area of approximately 3,500 m2 to help reduce the road temperature and to serve the pilgrims.
Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister of Hajj, Dr. Abdul Fattah Mashat in an interview with Saudi Newspaper ” Asharq Al-Awsat” said that the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, in cooperation with the Secretariat of the Holy City, launched an initiative to alleviate the heat of the holy sites by implementing a project to coat the asphalt, as a way to reduce the temperature by 15 to 20 degrees Celsius.
He said that 3,500 square meters were covered so far and that other sites would be treated over the next year.
He added that the project also included measuring the temperature every 10 seconds through sensors placed under the asphalt.
The number of pilgrims during the coming year will reach 15 million, according to the deputy minister, who pointed to the introduction of many programs and committees to ensure the best quality of services provided to pilgrims.
Urdu point
