HAJJ: INT'L MEDIA PRACTITIONERS VISIT NUSUK CARD CENTRE, ZAMZAM WATER FACTORY IN MAKKAH

From Nashir Mansor

MAKKAH, June 10 (Benama) -- International media practitioners who were invited by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) to cover this year's hajj pilgrimage were taken to visit several important locations to witness the various initiatives, programmes and facilities provided to pilgrims.

One of them is the Nusuk Card Service Centre which is responsible for issuing hajj igh-tech smart cards to all pilgrims who have obtained a hajj visa.

The card will facilitate the hajj authorities, workers and other enforcement agencies to quickly identify and verify the identity of each pilgrim and prevent any unauthorised individuals from entering all holy sites in conjunction with the hajj season.

According to the Nusuk Card Project deputy manager, Dr Esam Qattani, with the facility it is able to smooth the movement and increase the level of safety of the congregation when performing worship in all holy sites.

“No one is allowed to enter the holy sites during the hajj season unless they have Nusuk card...thus far, 95 per cent of the people who have arrived in Makkah (with hajj visa) have received their cards, ” he told reporters while giving a briefing on the facility here.

According to Essam, thus far 1.7 million of Nusuk cards have been issued to pilgrims and stressed that the authorities from various security agencies can detect fake cards easily if there is an attempt to falsify the facility.

Apart from that, media practitioners were also taken to visit Zamazemah Co., which is one of the companies given the responsibility by the Saudi Arabian government to process Zamzam water to be distributed free of charge to every pilgrim.

The company's factory manager, Abdulelah Muneef, said his side was able to produce 240,000 bottles of 330ml Zamzam water per day and aimed to produce 1.8 million cartons of Zamzam water this hajj season.

He said the source of raw Zamzam water from the zamzam well brought to the factory will be carefully processed to ensure its quality and safety are at the highest level as set by the health authorities of the Saudi Arabian government.

“Our task is not only to process and produce Zamzam water but also to ensure that every pilgrim this hajj  season will get 20 bottles (one carton) of Zamzam water," he said.

For this year’s hajj season, a total of 21 journalists and photographers, representing 10 news agencies from seven countries, have been invited by SPA to cover the hajj pilgrimage.

-- BERNAMA