Saudi Arabia anticipates a record-breaking scorching Haj journey in the current year. In the face of rising temperatures, Riyadh has started putting heat reduction efforts into place to guarantee visitor protection.
Heat at Mecca, the holies city of the Islamic world, rose to an astounding 51.8°C last June. Last year, 1.8 million worshipers took part in the yearly Islamic ceremonies. According to Saudi authorities, those lacking valid Haj visas account for 83% of the deaths that occurred. Services intended to lessen the effects of the severe weather were inaccessible to these pilgrims. The majority of locations offer travelers air-conditioned shelters along with other necessities.
The 2024 occurrences were a component of a broader worldwide climate disaster. It was the planet’s hottest year in history, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service. According to ambassadors from many nations, temperature-related factors were responsible for the majority of fatalities during the Haj. It also emphasizes how urgent intervention is required to safeguard the millions of people who participate in this revered event every year.
Specific arrangements for the trip in 2025 have not yet been revealed by Saudi officials. Strong attempts to avoid a recurrence of 2024 tragedy are anticipated by analysts such as Mr. Abderrezak Bouchama from the King Abdullah International Medical Research Centre.
The majority of the five- or six-day Haj is spent outside. In the past, it has encountered difficulties including catastrophic conditions and large numbers of people. The 2015 Mina stampede at the “stoning of the devil” ceremony is a noteworthy historical event. Up to 2,300 people died in the 2015 tragedy.
Saudi Measures
These difficulties have been made worse by the 2019 implementation of a universal tourist visa, which has made it simpler for anyone to travel to Saudi Arabia lacking the required authorization. It raises the possibility of uncontrolled pilgrimage involvement.
The Islamic lunar calendar determines when the Haj takes place each year. In the Gregorian calendar, it moves around 11 days earlier every year. The Haj season will once more take place in the sweltering summertime of Saudi Arabia in 2025, making the hazards for participants much greater.
Saudi Arabia has taken the initiative to put policies in place to mitigate the consequences of excessive heat in places of worship. There are air-conditioned areas close to the Kaaba where pilgrims may cool off. Within the Grand Mosque grounds, a climate-controlled trail links the slopes of Safa and Marwa.
A special cooling substance that lowers asphalt heat by as much as twenty percent has been applied on pilgrims’ main thoroughfares since last year. Supporters provide umbrellas, water in a container and advice on how to avoid being too hot. Partial respite is offered by air-conditioned malls and sprinkling devices.
Not every proposed enhancement might be finished in time for the Haj in 2025. However, experts emphasize how crucial it is to keep developing and placing into practice heat-mitigation solutions.
Although the Haj is going to end during the darker months of the year according to the Islamic timetable, this reprieve will only last for a short while. The amount of heat experienced during the Haj would surpass the severe danger level in 2040s and again 2080s as a result of global warming, according to an article from 2019 that appeared in Geophysical Research Letters.
