The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Institute for the Haj and Umrah Researches, represented by the Environmental and Health Research Department, conduct many environmental and health studies in the two holy cities and the Holy Sites. These studies aim at providing healthy, sound environment free from contaminants and diseases.   

The Head of the Environmental and Health Research Department, Dr Turki ibn Mohammd Habiballah pointed out that the Department studies during this current Haj season 1437 many important projects. Among these projects is studying the factors affecting the quality of the water packaged in Makkah and the Holy Sites. This aims at assessing how this could affect its safety and protecting the Haj Performers. To achieve this goal, the Institute seeks to study the effectiveness of applying the Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP) to the kitchens in Makkah and the Holy Sites in order to reduce the food poisoning during the Haj season.

Still, Dr. Turki added that the Department conduct a study entitled “the thermal performance and the environmental impact for the sprinkling fans used for softening the atmosphere at the spaces of the Sacred Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque. The study aims at detecting the temperatures and relative humidity during the Haj season and calculating the heat stress and the critical thermal levels. It also does a study titled the “Haj green camping in the Holy Sites”. It aims at providing requirements making the camping eco-friendly such as rationalizing water, securing constant health oversight and activating the hand-washing policy and sorting the waste from the source.. etc.        

By the same token, Dr. Turki noted that to ensure the Haj performers’ safety while performing the Haj rites, the Department conducts a study titled “the situation of rock cutting in Makkah”. It is meant for pinpointing the scope of the rock slides in the vicinity of Mina. The Institute also cooperates with the Medicine College in studying the impact of the stuck dust on the respiratory diseases, and detecting the illness cases and infectious diseases among the Haj and Umrah performers. Similarly, it works on studying the slaughterhouse waste, how to get rid of it in a safe way and benefiting from it. Not only that, it also presents many societal activities such as protecting the Haj and Urmrah performers against infection: spreading the hand-washing culture; and Ia’afaf imitative of the producing families which serves Makkah and Madinah.