Hajj authorities introduce ways to bring pilgrims relief from intense heat

Water-misting systems cool faithful as temperatures soar to 45°C, while pavements of recycled rubber ease arduous trek to Plains of Arafat

Pilgrims pray at dawn on Mount Arafat, also known as Jabal Al Rahma or Mountain of Mercy, during the climax of the Hajj pilgrimage. AFP

From misting systems to heat-reflective road coverings and new recycled rubber asphalt pavements, Saudi officials are working to help this year’s Hajj pilgrims to cope with the searing heat.

The annual pilgrimage, one of the world's largest religious gatherings, coincides again this year with the height of Saudi summer, with officials predicting highs of 45°C.

On Saturday, pilgrims will make an arduous 14km journey on foot from the Plains of Arafat, where the most important day of the Hajj pilgrimage is taking place, to Muzdalifah.

One of those initiatives includes the use of recycled flexible rubber asphalt in pedestrian walkways from Mina to the Plains of Arafat. The new roads are made with recycled rubber from tyres in an asphalt mixture, which helps reduce tyre waste accumulation and minimises pollution from tyre burning.

“We realise as we welcome more pilgrims each year post the coronavirus pandemic that we have to come up with innovative ways to ease and facilitate the pilgrims’ journeys in the holy sites as best as possible,” said Saleh Al Jasser, Saudi Minister of Transport and Logistic Services.

“Experiments have shown that the hardness of standard asphalt surfaces and sidewalks causes discomfort and issues for the ankles and feet of pilgrims, particularly the elderly, who make up 53 per cent of all pilgrims.”

This will be a reality facing pilgrims during the Hajj journey, said Dr Mohammed Al Abdali, spokesman for the Saudi Ministry of Health.

“This will be the greatest challenge in this year’s Hajj season.”

The pilgrimage, which takes most people at least five days to complete, is a marathon, Dr Al Abdali said.

He said that pilgrims, especially those who are elderly or have health issues, “are exposed to the risk of exhaustion or heat stroke, which are dangerous”.

Last year, more than 10,000 cases of heat-related illnesses were documented, 10 per cent of which were heat stroke, according to the Health Ministry.

Since last year, roads used by pilgrims have been covered in a white cooling material that Hajj officials say reduces the temperature of the asphalt by 20 per cent.

The Ministry of Health has been sending awareness and guidance messages to pilgrims, stressing the significance of parasols for protection from sunstroke, particularly during the peak temperatures between 11am and 3pm.

For the first time, Hajj authorities have introduced a unit specialising in heat-related cases within Al Noor Hospital in Makkah.

“This unit deals only with heat exhaustion and heatstroke cases and includes modern beds with lower and upper mist sprinklers and special cooling devices,” Dr Ahmed Hawsawi, deputy executive director of Al Noor Hospital, told The National.

Across the sites of Makkah, Hajj authorities have also added infrastructure to tackle the heat challenges.

Near the Kaaba, the black cubic structure in the Grand Mosque towards which all Muslims pray, new air-conditioned spaces allow pilgrims to cool off, and a climate-controlled pathway now connects the hills of Safa and Marwa inside the mosque compound.