26th October 2009 - Full use of the Jamrat Bridge (HUM)

Hajj & Umrah Magazine, Volume 64, Issue 10, October 2009
Pilgrims coming to perform Haj this year will for the first time use all the five storeys of the finished Jamrat Bridge.
One of the outstanding achievements of King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, is the expansion and development of Jamrat Bridge.
King Abdullah opened SR4.2 billion expansion project on Dec 30, 2006. With the completion of the project, the bridge will be able to hold five million pilgrims per hour.
The project was undertaken by the Kingdom to provide safety to the pilgrims and avoid the recurrence of stampedes and crowding in the Jamrat area.
A two-day workshop, organised by the Central Administration for Developmental Projects and with contributions from international and local experts, evaluated last year’s Haj and started early preparations for improved safety and security at the holy sites.

A huge number of security personnel are posted at several places on the bridge and before the entrances to the bridge to guide the pilgrims. Their aim is to ensure one-way flow of pilgrims through the complex.

The Ministry of Haj has also been pressing Tawafa Establishments and other domestic Haj organisers to stick to their schedules for sending pilgrims to the Jamrat Bridge. All the camps are assigned timing when they can send their pilgrims for the ritual. It has also helped control crowding at the bridge.

The authorities also put up huge screens in Mina so that pilgrims can see the situation of rush on the bridge before deciding to proceed.

Billboards in different languages at different locations are also put up in Mina to urge pilgrims not to carry their baggage with them to Jamrat. There are also signs asking pilgrims not to push while in the crowd.

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