MAKKAH: There will be enough water for pilgrims during the Haj, water authorities in Makkah have announced. Sixty-three water storage tanks in Makkah and the holy sites with a total capacity of 2.5 million cubic meters will be filled for pilgrims’ use, General Supervisor of the Directorate of Water Muhammad bin Ahmad Bughdadi said.

“The actual pumping of water through the networks in Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat will start on Dhul Hijjah 6 (Nov. 24),” he explained.

Bughdadi said there are 36 water tanks in Makkah and 27 in the holy sites, the majority of which are in Mina. He added an average of 410,000 cubic meters of water is pumped into Makkah daily.

Bughdadi said large quantities of water would be pumped into the central area around the Haram until the end of the Haj season “because of the large number of pilgrims in this area.” He said the three water pumping stations in Muaisim, Aziziyah and Arafat, in addition to the new station in Al-Kaakiyah residential district south of Makkah, will be operated at full capacity to fill water tankers, which are sterilized at special centers set up at various entrances into Makkah.

Bughdadi said sample quantities would be taken randomly every day for chemical and bacteriological analysis to make sure the water is suitable for human use.

“The water and sewage networks and all the toilets in the holy sites are cleaned and have been made ready for use,” he added.

He said the operation of water and sewage networks and the monitoring of water tanks would be automatically controlled to ensure that they are working properly throughout the Haj season.

There are over 68,500 toilets and 70,000 water taps for pilgrims to use for ablution, laundry and cleaning.