Saudi Arabia Launches World's Largest Cooling System For Hajj Pilgrims At The Grand Mosque

JAKARTA - The world's largest cooling system is operated at the Grand Mosque, Makkah, Saudi Arabia when more than one million pilgrims gather to fulfill the fifth series of Islamic Rukun in the midst of the summer heat.

This year's series of Hajj services began on Wednesday. Saudi authorities have promised the series of worship will be safe even though the air temperature increases. Strict sanctions have been imposed on illegal visitors in Makkah in an effort to prevent overcrowding.

The cooling system with a capacity of 155,000 tons of cooling, a power unit used to measure cooling equipment and air conditioning, will keep the temperature at the mosque between 22$C and 24$C, the Saudi Official News Agency (SPA) reported, quoted from The National News June 4.

Two main cooling stations will pump up air around the Shamiya station's mosque, with a capacity of 120,000 tonnes, and the Ajyad station with a capacity of 35,000 tonnes, the SPA reported, citing the General Authority for Maintenance of Haram Mosque Affairs.

"This effort is part of a comprehensive vision aimed at improving the pilgrim experience and providing the highest level of comfort and calm during ritual implementation, especially given the potentially bad weather conditions," the SPA added.

Saudi authorities said last year that 1,300 pilgrims died when temperatures reached 50 degC. Many are not registered and do not have access to air-conditioned tents and buses.

As of Friday last week, more than 1.3 million worshipers have arrived in Saudi Arabia, officials said. Meanwhile, this week's temperature is expected to exceed 40°C.

More than 40 government agencies and 250,000 Saudi Arabian officials will work to ensure the safety of the congregation.

Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry has warned anyone who tries to perform Hajj without a permit will be fined up to 20,000 riyals. Those who allow illegal pilgrims to go to Mecca will be subject to a higher fine. Foreigners who violate these rules may be barred from entering Saudi Arabia for 10 years.

The government of Saudi Arabia is known to have built new infrastructure to improve the safety of pilgrims.

The quota system for visitors to Mecca was introduced in 1987, which was approved by member countries of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC), to limit the number of pilgrims permitted by each country to 0.1 percent of its population.

This year, artificial intelligence will be used by authorities to monitor data and videos, with a fleet of new unmanned aircraft flying over Mecca, to help manage crowds.