Owners who do not conform to the country's safety regulations will not be allowed to accommodate pilgrims in their buildings for next year's Haj. This is the directive issued by Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Premier, Interior Minister and Chairman of the Higher Haj Committee. He said this applies to buildings in Makkah and Madina which did not conform to the Civil Defense's safety conditions this year. Major General Saleh Bin Salem Al-Mohawas, Director General of Civil Defense in Madinah, said the directives took into consideration the large number of residential buildings needed in Makkah. This city's buildings will have less stringent conditions than those in Madina. He said this comprehensive vision is aimed at serving pilgrims by providing them with adequate and safe housing. Major Abdullah Bin Thabit Al-Urabi Al-Harithy, the Spokesman for the Civil Defense in Makkah, said there were 5,800 buildings in Makkah which could absorb up to 1.5 million pilgrims. The new safety regulations would be enforced from Moharram until the end of Rajab, he said. He said these conditions would be enforced in accordance with the Saudi Construction Code. This requires a focus on safety, emergency exits and fire extinguishing equipment. It also means the Civil Defense and Mayoralty has to deal jointly with engineering studies, design and structural matters. In addition, the Ministry of Haj must determine the building's capacity, the mechanism of accommodation and cleanliness. In Madinah, there are 974 residential buildings able to accommodate 370,000 pilgrims.
