Saudi Gazette report

Makkah — With the successful completion of Haj, the cleaning of the Grand Mosque in Makkah has been intensified.

The administration responsible for cleaning the carpets and the floors of the Grand Mosque and its external courtyards has deputed some 4,000 workers for the cleaning purpose supervised by 275 employees.

A total of 2,247 tons of garbage was collected from the Grand Mosque and its external courtyards.

One thousand machines are used for cleaning the floors.

The carpets and the floors are cleaned around the clock in three overlapping shifts with each shift taking 30 minutes for the cleaning process, according to Director General of Services Affairs Muhammad Al-Jabri.

Contingency plans are always ready to be implemented in case of rainfall.

Some 150 plastic carpets are spread in two lanes in the courtyards and at the entrances to the Grand Mosque to prevent pilgrims and visitors from slipping.

Seventy machines are pressed into service to suck puddles of water from the floors.