Cairo: Around 20,000 posts have been allocated at the Grand Mosque, Islam’s holiest site in Saudi Arabia, to distribute more than 40 million litres of the holy Zamzam water to worshippers during Ramadan beginning next week, an official has said.
Ramadan is usually the peak season for Umrah or lesser pilgrimage at the Grand Mosque in Mecca.
Head of the Zamzam department at the Grand Mosque Abdul Rahman Al Zahrany said 30,000 Zamzam containers have been spread across the site to give worshippers an easy access to the holy water.
“The directorate has recruited 1,423 personnel to ensure efficiency and quality services,” he was quoted by the Saudi news agency SPA as saying.
The General Presidency in charge of the site’s affairs has achieved a “quality leap” by using robots as well as 80 smart carts in providing access to Zamzam water throughout the mosque and its courtyard, home to the Holy Kaaba, according to the official.
“Our personnel intensify supervisory and monitoring tours, take random samples and send them to our lab to ensure quality of the water. Carts and refrigeration facilities are constantly maintained too,” said Al Zahrany.
Robots were used during last year’s Hajj pilgrimage to distribute Zamzam bottles at the Grand Mosque as part of precautions against COVID-19.
Zamzam is also popular with foreign pilgrims who present it as a gift to relatives and friends after home return.
