ORGANISING and overseeing Haj is not an easy task with two million pilgrims expected in Saudi Arabia for the annual religious obligation. Over the years, the Saudi authorities have done a fair job of handling the massive gathering of humanity. But as Friday’s tragic crane accident in Makkah illustrated, unless all bases are covered where the safety and security of pilgrims are concerned, accidents and mishaps can have deadly consequences. At the time of writing, over 100 fatalities have been confirmed as a result of the crash; the giant crane came down onto a section of the Grand Mosque due to a bout of inclement weather. Over 200 people have been injured in the accident, among them many Pakistanis, reports indicate. Some of the injured are said to be in critical condition. With Haj just under two weeks away, this is the time for Saudi authorities to review all safety precautions and address the shortcomings before the pilgrimage gets under way.

As incomes have risen globally and air travel has made distances shorter, the number of people visiting the holy cities in Saudi Arabia from all parts of the world has increased tremendously. Numbers are especially high during Haj as well as the month of Ramazan. Around 800,000 people are currently in the kingdom for Haj — with more expected — while over two million pilgrims visited last year. To deal with this influx, Saudi authorities have launched a sweeping reconstruction drive to expand the capacity of the Grand Mosque. Yet some Saudi activists have pointed out that there has been negligence in the placement of the cranes around the mosque. Riyadh needs to scale down construction activity during high-volume periods like Haj to decrease the chance of accidents, along with reviewing safety protocols especially where machinery and other equipment are concerned. Moreover, until the construction work is completed, perhaps the Saudis should reconsider the number of pilgrims allowed in for Haj and ensure that it does not cross the limits set by safety considerations.

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2015

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