Saudi Gazette

MAKKAH — Abdul Rahman Al-Fadli, minister of environment, water and agriculture, has said his ministry will pump about 40 million cubic meters of extra water to Makkah, Madinah and the holy sites during the Haj season.

He said 263 employees of his ministry would be working throughout the Haj to ensure an uninterrupted and smooth supply of water.

Emir of Makkah, Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, who is also the chairman of the Central Haj Committee, said all the government and private bodies concerned with the Haj services have completed all their arrangements to extend consummate services to the pilgrims to do their Haj rites in ease, peace and comfort.

"Under standing instructions of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, we will leave no stone unturned to offer the best of services to the pilgrims," he said.

The Ministry of Haj and Umrah has prevented all local Haj companies from hosting preachers at the tents of the pilgrims without official permits from the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance.

It, however, explained that the companies may have religious guides at the tents.

Meanwhile, the Jeddah Municipality has said it recruited 9,843 workers to clean the city and its airport 24 hours daily during the entire Haj season.

It said the cleaning operation according to the Haj plan started on Aug. 2 and would continue until Sept. 6. All streets, entertainment centers, restaurants, the airport, car parking lots, the Corniche, the Eid prayer grounds and the slaughterhouses will be cleaned up as part of the project.

British pilgrims

Akbar Rahman, deputy consul at the Consulate General of Britain in Jeddah, said about 20,000 British Muslims would perform Haj this year.

He said before departing to the Kingdom, the pilgrims were rigorously trained on the correct methods of performing the pilgrimage and also on the Kingdom's laws and traditions.

Rahman said his country's pilgrims were warned against exposing themselves to the sun so as not to get sunstrokes or heat exhaustion.

The deputy consul wholeheartedly lauded the great services being extended by the Kingdom to the guests of God and said under the instructions of the leadership, the Kingdom is taking good care of all pilgrims.