(13 October 2014)—Between 2 and 7 October, the Haj 1435 H pilgrimage drew more than 3 million pilgrims to the holy quarter of Mashaer in Mecca.
Extensive preparation was required in order to deliver services to this location, which is a desert for the rest of the year. Saur helped to distribute clean drinking water and sanitation, both essential services for the pilgrims from both a ritual standpoint as well as for health and hygiene.
With less than 0.1 percent customer complaints, the operation was a success.
Drawing on its experience and professional expertise, Saur was able to prepare the infrastructure ahead of time to handle peak daily usage of 820,000 cubic meters of water, with a storage capacity of 2 million cubic meters.
Saur used appropriate tools to manage the operation, including:
• An operation control center with dedicated reporting tools
• An analysis laboratory and air-conditioning systems in pilgrimage sites
• Real-time tracking of water consumption and reserves
• Constant control of fire safety systems
• A dedicated pilgrim call center
In all, more than 8.5 million cubic meters of water were used in Mecca during haj.