JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Civil Defense has announced the completion of its preparations and contingency plans to ensure the preservation of the safety of pilgrims during the 2018 Hajj season in Makkah and Madinah
The preparations for the General Emergency Plan for Hajj have been personally and continuously followed-up by the Director General of the Civil Defense Sulaiman Al-Amr, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Friday.
The directorate pointed out that more than 18,000 civil defense officers and personnel have been mobilized, supported by more than 3,000 machines and sophisticated equipment, to provide the highest security level and minimize risks for worshipers at the Prophet’s Mosque.
The plan falls in line with the efforts of the government and King Salman, also the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to protect pilgrims annually, maintain their safety and facilitating their performance of rituals.
The plan includes full readiness to deal with 13 kinds of virtual risks that may occur during Hajj, which arose through in-depth studies and workshops specialized in monitoring and analyzing risks, in light of climate changes and environmental developments. The plan includes preparing detailed scenarios for dealing with each type of risk and conducting a hypothesis experiment to measure the effectiveness of confrontational plans in practice in relevant locations in the holy city.
The potential risks of Hajj vary from season to season and if construction projects are carried out for the convenience of pilgrims, as well as annual weather changes that may coincide with the Hajj season.
Therefore, the civil defense plans accommodate all these variables to monitor and analyze the expected risks, whether natural or man-made, and then take practical measures to deal with them.
Civil defense plans for Hajj this year included some foreseeable risks, whether natural, such as “high temperatures, torrential rains, hurricanes, landslides, diseases or epidemics” or industrial, such as “fires, contaminants or the dangers of mass crowds.”
The civil defense stressed the importance of training personnel on the potential risks associated with towers and tall buildings to raise their awareness in implementing evacuation plans with the assistance of special fire teams linked to these facilities.
The plan also includes working and coordinating with other concerned authorities, such as medical teams, particularly regarding previous dangerous locations or critical places around the holy city.
The authorities in the Jamarat facility have also been assigned to deal with these risks in order to participate in transporting the injured and moving them from dangerous to safe places. Then, the civil defense, along with the Saudi Red Crescent, will coordinate with the health authorities in the field hospitals and transferred to the required places.
Sixty peak evacuation points have been allocated, monitored by an officer and groups of individuals in the event of any threat to pilgrims’ safety, stampedes, or anyone who may require medical assistance.
The Special Civil Defense Emergency Forces have a great responsibility in dealing with accidents and risks that require specialized skills, highly developed mechanisms, modernity and rapid intervention capabilities.
The Civil Defense also completed preparations for crowd management and other situations by deploying a large number of officers and individuals to deal with any emergency case on all floors and entrances of the Jamarat facility and the stone throwing walls 24 hours a day, particularly during peak times.
The civil defense forces have been provided with mechanisms and equipment to facilitate rapid responses in the event of a fire, and a number of motorcycle teams have been deployed, equipped with fire and rescue devices, which have the potential to maneuver in crowded roads and sites and narrow streets.
Makkah has been divided into the civil defense plan for the Hajj pilgrimage to several axes and covered by all civil defense services, in addition to the intensification of units, field teams and teams.
Under the plan, Makkah has been divided into several axes for the Hajj pilgrimage, covering all civil defense services, in addition to intensifying units, field teams and personnel.
Saudi Arabia’s civil defense concludes contingency plans for 2018 Hajj season
Saudi Arabia’s civil defense concludes contingency plans for 2018 Hajj season
- The directorate said that more than 18,000 civil defense officers and personnel have been mobilized
- The plan includes full readiness to deal with 13 kinds of virtual risks that may occur during Hajj
Saudi Armed Forces participate in military exercise in Turkiye
- The field exercise phase of EFES 2024, which begins on Friday and continues until May 30, follows a command center phase that began on April 25 and ended on Wednesday
RIYADH: The Saudi Arabian Armed Forces are taking part in a multinational military exercise in the Turkish city of Izmir, the Kingdom’s Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
Upon arrival in Turkiye ahead of the field-exercise phase of EFES 2024, the Saudi units were greeted by the military attache at the Saudi embassy in Ankara, Commodore Adel Al-Kalthami, the director of the exercise from the Kingdom, Brig. Gen. Nasser Al-Suhaimi, and officers from branches of the Armed Forces.
The exercise involves two main phases, the first of which was a command-center exercise at the Multinational War Center in Istanbul and the Joint Command Training Center in Izmir, which began on April 25 and concluded on Wednesday. The second phase, involving live-firing field exercises at Izmir’s Doganbey Firing and Exercise Area, begins on Friday and continues until May 30.
The head of the Saudi Armed Forces Education and Training Authority, Maj. Gen. Adel Al-Balawi, said participation of the nation’s forces in the exercise reflects the care and support of the Saudi leadership for the development of their capabilities and the enhancement their organizational, training and armaments skills.
The exercise provides an opportunity for forces from participating nations to exchange skills, train together in the planning and coordination of joint operations in various environments, raise their combat efficiency, and enhance military cooperation, he added.
During the exercise the Saudi units and their counterparts from other countries will carry out many field maneuvers on land and sea, including sea-landing operations, search and rescue missions, and responses to threats posed by drones, using light arms loaded with live ammunition and other weaponry, Al-Balawi said.
Saudi king, crown prince offer condolences to Brazilian president over flood victims
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman sent a message of condolences and sympathy to Brazilain President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, following the floods that swept the state of Rio Grande do Sul that killed and injured several people and left a number missing, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.
“We learned of the news of the floods that swept through the state of Rio Grande do Sul, south of the Federal Republic of Brazil, and the resulting deaths, injuries, and missing persons,” the king said.
He added: “We share Your Excellency’s pain of this tragedy, and we send to you, to the families of the deceased, and to your friendly people, our warmest condolences and sincere sympathy, wishing that the missing will return safely and the injured a speedy recovery.”
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also sent a similar cable to the Brazilian president.
Heavy rains and flooding in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul since last week also have left 128 people missing, authorities said. More than 230,000 have been displaced, and much of the region has been isolated by the floodwaters.
(With AP)
Saudi crown prince, Ukrainian president discuss Russia-Ukraine conflict during call
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday received a phone call from Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
During the call, they reviewed bilateral relations between the two countries and discussed several issues of common interest.
They also discussed developments in the Ukrainian-Russian crisis and efforts to resolve the conflict.
Ithra Film Production announces new projects at film festival
- The IFP seeks to highlight Saudi stories and discover new voices
DHAHRAN: The King Abdulaziz World Cultural Center, or Ithra, announced 15 new film projects this week at the 10th Saudi Film Festival, which concludes on May 9.
The Saudi film funding program selected four features and 11 short films from 170 submissions over the past year.
The entries were submitted by emerging Saudi filmmakers vying to take their concepts from the drawing board to silver screens across the globe.
Since its inception six years ago, the IFP has played a vital role in supporting Saudi Arabia’s fast-growing film industry, by nurturing home-grown talent and fostering cinematic content through commissioning and co-funding opportunities.
The IFP seeks to highlight Saudi stories and discover new voices and creative storytellers with the ultimate goal of having their films showcased on national and international platforms.
After reviewing an unprecedented number of high-quality submissions, the jury ultimately settled on the 15 films that together comprise an array of unique untold stories presented by talented storytellers who tapped into Saudi Arabia’s rich culture for ideas.
IFP also introduced a range of initiatives aimed at providing platforms for film producers, advancing standards of excellence in filmmaking and empowering new talent in the region.
Additionally, they host numerous workshops and seminars in the field of representation and production, writing and directing, among others.
Since its first film in 2018, IFP has funded 20 titles and produced four which have been showcased at 95 film festivals across the globe, winning 34 awards.
This includes “Hajjan” which most recently won three awards at the Gulf Film Festival including best feature, best actor and best cinematography.
Diriyah’s JAX District granted status of industrial heritage site
- Recognition by Saudi Heritage Commission honors the district for its role in the evolution of industry in the Kingdom and its role in shaping society
- District, named after the company that established it in the 1970s, contains a striking assembly of warehouses
- When commercial tenants moved out of the district in the mid-2000s, artists moved in
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Heritage Commission has designated Diriyah’s JAX District, near Riyadh, as an industrial heritage site.
Its industrial days behind it, the district is now known as a creative arts hub in the heart of Diriyah, which is also where the UNESCO world heritage site of At-Turaif can be found.
The official recognition of its past role falls under the aims of the Industrial Heritage Preservation Program to protect and celebrate places of historical significance to the industrial sector in the Kingdom.
The designation highlights the district’s unique industrial architecture, officials said, and gives it a place alongside other sites in the Kingdom recognized for their roles in the evolution of industry in the country and its role in shaping Saudi society. Granting it heritage site status pays tribute to its history as a center for large-scale industrial projects and underscores its position as a national cultural landmark, they added.
JAX, named after the company that established the district in the 1970s, is home to a striking assembly of large warehouses that once formed an important industrial center in Riyadh region.
In the mid-2000s, commercial tenants started to move out and a group of graffiti artists began to use the walls of abandoned warehouses as their makeshift canvas. Young artists also established workshops and studios in the vacated spaces. In the years that followed, additional creative spaces, including art galleries, studios and cafes, were established, major cultural institutions opened, and office space was built for creative agencies that set up shop there.
JAX District now hosts numerous events, including the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale, MDLBEAST XP Music Futures, the Hia Hub fashion, beauty and style conference, and light art festival Noor Riyadh. The Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art, the first museum of its kind in the Kingdom, is also located in the district.
