Mecca, Saudi Arabia (ANTARA) - The Religious Affairs Ministry continues its efforts to improve services for Indonesian Hajj pilgrims in response to complaints about food, water supply, and accommodation in Mina, Saudi Arabia.
During the Hajj pilgrimage, pilgrims are required to stay in Mina, located southwest of Mecca, for several days to offer prayers, perform the Stoning of the Devil ritual, and engage in other personal rituals.
Hilman Latief, the Director General of Hajj and Umrah at the ministry, stated in Mina that while the water supply and food are good at several maktabs (camps), there have been delays in food distribution at other maktabs.
He explained that the delay in food distribution coincides with issues related to the water supply, as a poor water supply hampers the cooking process. The authority also discovered instances of overcapacity at several tents, necessitating the relocation of mattresses for Hajj pilgrims outside the tents. In response, tents that were initially designated for storage have been repurposed as sleeping areas for the pilgrims.
"We are actively addressing these issues and have requested partner companies to improve their essential services based on the problems we have identified," remarked Latief. This is the second year that Hajj pilgrims have been provided with mattresses. Latief revealed that the provision of mattresses reduced tent capacity and led to a more crowded area.
"Mattresses were first provided last year, but at that time, the number of Hajj pilgrims was only 50 percent of the usual number. We recently discovered that if every pilgrim receives a mattress, some pilgrims will be displaced," disclosed the director general.
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Latief also drew attention to the lack of significant changes in the Mina area despite Indonesia receiving an additional quota of eight thousand Hajj pilgrims this year, resulting in more people staying in Mina. "The tent size remains the same. We will evaluate this issue. We are currently coordinating with Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Hajj to implement improvement measures in the future," stated Latief.
The official mentioned that Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas would present his findings to the Saudi authorities.
