JEDDAH, 30 November 2006 — The world’s largest crowd-control challenge is the annual pilgrimage when millions arrive to perform the Haj within a small, five-day window of opportunity.
In order to help prevent accidents similar to the ones in the past that have caused deaths as a result of stampedes, the government is implementing special security arrangements this year.
According to Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, director of Haj Affairs at the Interior Ministry, who addressed the media in Riyadh yesterday, the new plan — along with an expanded Jamrat Bridge — will allow up to 1.25 million pilgrims to perform the stoning of Satan ritual in Mina within five hours. If everything goes as planned, this operation would more than accommodate the estimated 2.5 million pilgrims expected to participate in the Haj this year, which is expected to begin on Dec. 29.
Al-Turki said a 9,000-man special force would be deployed in Mina to control the movement of pilgrims to Jamrat.
“The Haj Ministry has a plan to dispatch pilgrims to the Jamrat area in groups,” he pointed out. “The main mission of the security forces in Mina will be to take control of all streets leading to Jamrat in order to organize the movement of pilgrims who are coming and going.”
Al-Turki said security forces would be deployed at the entrances of Makkah and Mina in order to prevent domestic pilgrims who do not carry Haj permits from joining the throng.
He called upon domestic pilgrims, who have performed Haj before, not to repeat the pilgrimage (which is compulsory only once in a person’s lifetime) in order to allow foreign pilgrims to perform their religious duty more comfortably and safely.
Speaking about the new arrangement for the stoning ritual, especially after the completion of the first phase of the Jamrat Bridge Project, Al-Turki said Jowharat Al-Arab Street, New Street, Souk Al-Arab Street and Pedestrian Street would be allowed to be used only for going toward Jamrat.
“We’ll not allow pilgrims to use these streets while returning,” he said. “So, pilgrims have to identify the road for returning to their tents before going to Jamrat.”
Signboards will be erected along streets in order to guide pilgrims, he added.
Crowd management at Jamrat has been one of the major challenges facing Saudi Haj organizers as hundreds of thousands of the faithful move simultaneously to carry out the stoning ritual. This often results in overcrowding and stampedes leading to deaths.
Al-Turki said security forces would stop all small vehicles (with a capacity of less than nine passengers) carrying Saudi number plates and driven by pilgrims from entering Makkah from the morning of Dul Qaada 25 till the end of Dul Hijjah 13. Similar vehicles registered outside the Kingdom will also be prevented from entering Makkah, he added.
