Cairo: Saudi municipal authorities in the holy city of Mecca have confiscated over 400 packets of the holy Zamzam in the run-up to the sacred Muslim month of Ramadan, local media reported.
The bottles were found stored in an inappropriate way in violation of hygienic rules, the city’s municipality said. water of unknown origin
They were destroyed before they could be put on the local market, and legal action was taken against the violators, the authorities added without elaborating.
Agencies in Mecca, home to Islam’s holiest site, has recently maximised monitoring works in preparation for Ramadan expected to begin on April 2 this year.
Ramadan is usually the peak season for Umrah or lesser pilgrimage. Zamzam is popular with foreign pilgrims who present the holy water as a gift to relatives and friends after home return.
This year’s Ramadan comes as Saudi Arabia has lifted most COVID-19 restrictions.
This included scrapping physical distancing among worshippers at the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet Mohammed's Mosque in Medina. Still, worshippers are required to wear face masks.
Saudi authorities also cancelled mandatory PCR tests as well as institutional and home quarantine for arrivals in the kingdom.
