Hygiene and water cuts are top concerns for Umrah and Haj pilgrims at the Meeqat mosque in Al-Sail. Several Umrah pilgrims said there were occasional water cuts in the mosque restrooms particularly during peak hours on Thursdays and Fridays, Al-Watan reported. Al-Watan reporters inspected the restrooms. Though water was available, the hygienic conditions were poor. Sewage pipes were overflowing and most restrooms were unusable, the report said. Mohammad Hassan Al-Khalasi, head of Abou Firas Bahraini caravan said he faced water cuts in Al-Sail three times and added that he organizes two Umrah trips every other week. Al-Khalasi said restrooms are often filled with shaving equipment and hair. He said more attention must be paid towards cleanliness in the Meeqat mosque and also there needs to be more emphasis on the comfort of Umrah pilgrims. Abdulaziz Al-Medre', director of Endowments and Taif Mosques, said cleanliness at Al-Meeqat is first class, but with more than 10,000 Umrah pilgrims arriving at once it is difficult to manage. “Sometimes more than 50 people line up to use a restroom though we have 181 restrooms for men and 131 for women,” Al-Medre' said. Some 600 new restrooms are under-construction and allocations for pumping desalinated water into Al-Meeqat area have been included in this year's budget, he said. Al-Medre' said water has been cut off to several restrooms because of maintenance work. As an alternative, Bangladeshi workers have set up furnished apartments and lavatories for rent next to Al-Meeqat. Men use the lavatories while women and families use the furnished apartments. They charge SR3 per hour for men and SR20 per hour for a family, said a Bangladeshi in-charge. A Kuwaiti family said they faced hygiene problems last year. “This is why we are staying at a furnished apartment this time,” one of them said. Al-Khalasi said, “In my last trip, I was forced to take my members to furnished flats for SR5 per person. During peak season, the rate goes up to SR300 for passengers per bus.” Al-Medre' said the Saudi Bin Laden Company was in charge of the restrooms. He said the Ministry spends millions on maintenance of these restrooms and he visits the area twice every week. The department has water trucks to refill tanks. “In the last two months, we spent over SR150,000 to truck the water supply,” he said. Al-Medre' accused Umrah pilgrims of misuse and breaking pipes. He said some pilgrims intentionally take pictures of all the negative development that occurs due to overcrowding. Louay Qunaitah, member of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and head of the Tourist Committee at the Chamber, said the water cuts and poor hygiene tarnish the image of Taif though generous support is provided by the Kingdom. “The Chamber will address the concerned authorities and will follow up the issues on hygiene and water cuts,” Qunaitah said. Meeqat is the place where Umrah and Haj pilgrims enter into a state of Ihram before going to Makkah.
