MINA, 1 January 2007 — The Civil Defense directorate is planning to bring the whole pilgrim movement in areas that include the Grand Mosque, Mina, Arafat and other holy sites under camera surveillance to monitor activities in these areas, according to Brig. Muhammad ibn Abdullah Al-Qarni, commander of the control room at the holy sites in Mina.
The surveillance system is already in place in the area surrounding the Jamrat Bridge, which had been the site of fatal overcrowding incidents in the past.
“All developments in the Jamrat area are being continuously observed and documented through cameras as a precautionary measure against any possible untoward incident,” he said.
The task of the control room is to follow up on the implementation of the plans laid down by the general directorate of the Civil Defense for the Haj beginning from the moment the pilgrims enter the Kingdom until their departure, Al-Qarni said. “Civil Defense teams are posted at every land, sea and air entry points,” he said.
“The Civil Defense is on a constant vigil to prevent or cope with any type of emergency at Makkah and the holy sites,” he added.
With its eight main wireless channels the office serves as the liaison between street-level surveillance and the Ministry of Haj.
“The control room receives reports about the accident site from various sources including the Civil Defense personnel who are deployed in the field,” he said. “In the event of a crisis, each main rescue team is helped by four support teams.”
Civil Defense authorities even utilize Google Earth to pinpoint areas, but Al-Qarni said that everyone working to monitor the flow of pilgrims is familiar with the areas that need to be focused. Al-Qarni said steps are under way to install video cameras at the Haram, Arafat and all other major points of Haj, but did not say if these monitoring points would be ready by the next Haj.
