Helicopters spray pesticide in Makkah

Makkah, December 05: Makkah municipality has sent helicopters to spray pesticides in various parts of the city and holy sites to ensure that infectious diseases do not spread in the city in the aftermath of the Haj.

The spraying operation is undertaken with the collaboration of the Ministry of Agriculture with the aim of disinfecting the holy sites and other places of mosquitoes and disease causing germs, Makkah Mayor Osama Al-Bar told Arab News on Friday.

The mayor assured that the insecticide would not pose health hazards to anything but the insects themselves.

The municipality is continuing cleaning operations in the holy sites and Makkah city, he said. The operations also include disinfection, sterilization, maintenance and commissioning of various facilities and locations.

The municipality has also recruited a large number of additional workers and supervisors use heavy machineries for the required tasks so that the operations could be completed within the time prescribed for it.

He added that the holy sites have been divided in to five zones for rapid and effective cleaning and disinfection in the highest hygienic standard.

“We also want to make our operations better than the previous year,” he said.

He said the cleaning contract for the next Haj will be worth of SR795,000,000 and will have a 50 percent increase in the number of workers.

——Agencies