Makkah Deputy Governor Conducts Field Inspection of Holy Sites’ Readiness for Hajj

Under the directives of Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Makkah Region Governor Prince Khalid bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Governor Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz conducted a field visit Tuesday to several places in the holy sites to ensure their readiness to receive pilgrims for the 1446 AH Hajj season.

 The deputy governor began his tour in Arafat by visiting the Kidana Development Company’s Operations Control Center (OCC), where he reviewed the center’s role in monitoring the continuous operation of water and electricity services, detecting malfunctions and reports in real time, and issuing immediate alerts to field teams.

 He was briefed on how operational data is analyzed and how modern technologies are used to enhance operational efficiency and response speed, ensuring performance quality across the holy sites and maintaining around-the-clock readiness.

 He then visited the Jabal Ar-Rahmah area, where he reviewed the heat stress mitigation project covering 196,000 square meters. The project aims to cool the surroundings and reduce the impact of direct sunlight by installing movable canopies — used for the first time at the holy sites — covering 1,200 square meters and equipped with 129 misting fans, to provide a more comfortable environment for pilgrims during their movements and rituals.

 Prince Saud bin Mishaal continued his tour by reviewing the shuttle transport project, which aims to coordinate movement in Arafat by ensuring connectivity between key points without interference between pilgrims and bus traffic. The project also involves defining design requirements for shuttle components and testing operations through transport and crowd movement simulations to ensure safe operation.

 At Muzdalifah, the deputy governor continued his tour by visiting the pilgrim rest area project, covering 28,000 square meters along the holy sites' pathways. The project aims to reduce temperatures and provide comfort through shaded seating areas equipped with misting fans and commercial kiosks, as well as rubber flooring along pedestrian paths to facilitate movement and ensure pilgrims’ safety.

 He reviewed the charitable distribution centers project, implemented by Kidana to organize and facilitate charitable activities in Arafat and Muzdalifah. The project includes establishing 70 dedicated units to improve efficiency, ease distribution for service providers, and enhance the quality of services offered to pilgrims during the 1446 AH Hajj season.

 In Mina, Prince Saud concluded his tour with a visit to the Saudi Electricity Company’s (SEC's) load services center.

 He was briefed on SEC’s projects for this year’s Hajj season, including the establishment of five new electrical transmission stations, 228 new distribution stations, a 75% increase in additional electrical capacity, and the implementation of 14 projects to enhance and replace distribution networks.