Crisis and Disaster Management During Hajj Season Training Kit

Crisis and Disaster Management Training Kit for the Hajj Season

Crisis and disaster management during the Hajj season is vital to ensuring the safety and comfort of pilgrims while performing the Hajj rites. The Hajj season sees a massive influx of Muslims from all over the world, which poses major challenges for the bodies responsible for organising this great event. Crisis and disaster management aims to plan, coordinate, and prepare to face unexpected events and deal with them effectively when they occur.

The most prominent themes of crisis management during Hajj include:

• Planning and preparedness

• Awareness and education

• Coordination and cooperation between bodies

• Evaluation and continuous improvement

• Making use of modern technology

All of this contributes to ensuring a safe and successful Hajj experience, and providing a stable environment while pilgrims perform the great rites.

The Concept of Crisis

The origins of the word "crisis" go back to a Latin word meaning to decide, from which its modern meaning emerged as a decisive moment requiring a decision at a critical time that may involve difficulty or tension, and that threatens the stability of an individual or an institution.

The Concept of Crisis Management

Crisis management is closely linked to the overall administrative process, as it is a purposeful activity based on collecting and analysing information related to potential events, forecasting their trends, and developing plans to deal with them within a framework of organisation and readiness, in order to reduce their negative effects.

The Difference Between a Crisis and a Disaster

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Crisis:

An unexpected and undesirable situation that occurs on a limited or wide scale, and requires a rapid response to limit its consequences.

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Disaster:

A sudden event that causes major destruction and severe human suffering, which may be natural or man-made in cause. Sometimes a disaster leads to the emergence of a crisis, but it is not a crisis in itself.

Causes of Crises Arising During the Hajj Season

Misunderstanding and Misperception

Such as: unclear instructions or pilgrims ignoring guidance related to Hajj and its timings.

Poor Estimation and Assessment

Such as incorrectly estimating the size of the flow of pilgrims, or ignoring weather factors and environmental changes.

Random Management

The absence of organisation and fair distribution of resources and services, or weak coordination between the bodies concerned, leading to congestion and chaos.

Symptoms of Heatstroke During Hajj

• Nausea

• Dizziness

• Headache

• Redness and dryness of the skin

• Vomiting

How to Deal with Heatstroke

• Move the affected person to a shaded or air-conditioned place.

• Provide cold water to drink.

• Lay the affected person on their back with their feet raised slightly.

• Remove excess clothing to cool the body.

• In severe cases: call for an ambulance immediately.

Causes of Food Poisoning During Hajj

Food poisoning occurs as a result of contamination of food or water with infectious agents such as:

• Bacteria

• Viruses

• Parasites

The cause is often poor hygiene, or storing food in unsanitary conditions, or consuming it from unreliable sources.

Ways to Treat Food Poisoning During Hajj

• Maintaining the body's hydration by drinking sufficient amounts of water.

• Using painkillers to relieve pain and fever.

• Taking appropriate medication based on a medical prescription, such as antibiotics or anti-parasitic drugs.

The Efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia During the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Crisis

Amid the coronavirus crisis, the Kingdom made tremendous efforts to ensure a safe Hajj season.

In 2021, with the pandemic and virus variants continuing, the Saudi authorities decided to limit Hajj to only 60,000 pilgrims from within the Kingdom, within precise health and organisational standards, which contributed to limiting the spread of the virus and ensuring the safety of pilgrims.