Planning, oversight and technology key to municipal services at Hajj, ministry says

The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing showcased the role of municipal services in enhancing the experience of Hajj pilgrims during its participation on the second day of the Hajj 2026 Conference and Exhibition in Jeddah.

The ministry highlighted its fieldwork model in Makkah and the holy sites, focusing on site preparation, service monitoring, and rapid response to reports and emergencies to ensure a safe and well-prepared urban environment for pilgrims.

The ministry emphasized the importance of integrating advance planning, on-the-ground execution, and continuous monitoring as a core approach to managing municipal services during Hajj seasons, which require handling high population densities while maintaining service continuity, efficiency, and swift adaptation to changing needs.

Municipal efforts include preparing roads and public facilities, implementing cleaning and environmental sanitation, monitoring commercial and food establishments and activities, and following up on field reports and observations—all aimed at ensuring pilgrim safety and improving the quality of their surroundings during the pilgrimage.

On the operational front, the ministry reviewed its performance during the 1447 AH Hajj season, handling over 29,000 reports with an average response time of just 73 seconds. The ministry also allocated one field staff member for every 76 pilgrims and one cleaning unit for every 19 pilgrims, reflecting the scale of human and operational resources dedicated to serving pilgrims.

The ministry underscored the importance of leveraging technological solutions and data to monitor field operations, track observations, and identify operational needs, supporting decision-making, improving resource allocation, and developing service delivery methods for future Hajj seasons.

The ministry stated that its participation aims to build on accumulated operational experience and lessons from previous seasons to further develop municipal services, in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and the Pilgrim Experience Program, reinforcing the role of urban environments in providing a smoother and higher-quality Hajj experience.