All Muslims wherever they are were saddened by the news of the deaths of 251 pilgrims this year in the Jamrat area. Overcrowding and thoughtless pushing were the main reasons for this horrible accident. Both last year and the year before, there were similar accidents.
The terrible news was announced on the first day of Eid, with the Haj minister and other officials blaming the pilgrims themselves, especially overstayers. We do not know what plans are made for Haj or whether there are any to be used in case of severe overcrowding. There are, however, no way for ambulances to go into the Jamrat area.
We face two major problems here. The first is how to deal with disaster as officials, as citizens and in the media. The second one is finding a solution. To deal with the first, we need the courage to admit our mistakes and the willingness to accept responsibility even if it means that officials resign their jobs. They must be honest with the public about the problem. The media must deal with its part of the problem; it covered the event of course but defended officials and praised the government. What we need is a media which is both honest and credible when discussing a problem.
The second problem is finding a solution to the problem of overcrowding. We need to acquire experience in coping with large crowds at big gatherings. There are scientific studies and plans for such gatherings and the plans have been successful. They have not been applied, however, in Saudi Arabia even though Saudi Arabia hosts the Haj every year which is perhaps the largest gathering of people in the world. It is estimated that Saudi Arabia has spent SR100 billion in developing Makkah but how much of that has been used for educating those who should control the crowds?
Scientific planning can control the movements of millions of people. The easiest way is to control the entrance by which pilgrims enter and then not to allow them to exit except by another point. Strong barriers should be in place to prevent any attempts at returning the same way. The constantly-repeated mistake in Jamrat area is that the plans do not include entrance and exit. Iron gates that open and close after a certain number of pilgrims have entered the area should be put into place. They should then not open until a certain percentage of pilgrims have left the Jamrat.
Pilgrims should also be organized into groups by nationality which would make communicating with them easier than if there were a large crowd composed of people speaking many different languages. When pilgrims are issued their visas or permits, they should also be given Haj information including maps of Makkah and the holy sites, police points, ambulance locations, parking places, safety regulations and timings for Jamrat and tawaf.
There should also be numbers for 24-hour ambulance, police and fire services. Things should happen by careful planning and not be left to chance.
