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Climate modification risk hangs over haj trip as hundreds die in heat

Nearly 2 million Muslims will reach the end of the haj pilgrimage this week, however severe heat has shown fatal for hundreds who began the journey last Friday to the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

A minimum of 562 individuals have actually passed away during the haj, according to a. tally based upon foreign ministry declarations and sources.

Egypt alone has actually signed up 307 deaths and another 118. missing, medical and security sources told , as. temperatures sometimes skyrocketed past 51 degrees Celsius (124. Fahrenheit).

It was so harsh and the people can not bear that type of. heat, stated Wilayet Mustafa, a Pakistani pilgrim.

A witness said bodies lay on the side of the roadway near Mina,. simply outside Capital, covered with the white Ihram cloth - a. basic clothes worn by pilgrims - till medical lorries showed up.

Climate researchers state such deaths provide a look of what. is to come for the 10s of millions of Muslims anticipated in. coming years to undertake the haj.

The haj has been performed in a certain method for more than. 1,000 years now, and it's always been a hot climate, said. Carl-Friedrich Schleussner, a clinical advisor at German. institute Climate Analytics. However ... the climate crisis is. contributing to the seriousness of the climate conditions.

During the haj to the Kaaba, a cube-shaped stone structure. at the Grand Mosque, pilgrims carry out spiritual rites as taught. by the Prophet Mohammad to his fans 14 centuries earlier.

Important parts of the haj, Schleussner said, such as the. routine climb of Mount Arafat, have actually become extremely harmful. to human health.

SCENARIO WILL WORSEN

The timing of the haj is figured out by the lunar year, which. sees the trip return by 10 days annually. While the haj. is now moving towards winter, by the 2040s it will accompany. the peak of summertime in Saudi Arabia.

It is going to be extremely fatal, stated Fahad Saeed, a climate. researcher at Environment Analytics based in Pakistan.

Heat-related deaths along the haj are not new, and have actually been. recorded back to the 1400s.

An absence of acclimatization to greater temperature level, intense. physical exertion, exposed spaces, and an older population makes. pilgrims vulnerable.

In 2015, more than 2,000 individuals struggled with heat stress,. according to Saudi officials.

The situation will get much worse as the world warms,. scientists stated.

Saeed and Schleussner published a 2021 study in the journal. Environmental Research Letters which found that if the world. warms by 1.5 C (2.7 F) above pre-industrial levels, heat stroke. danger for pilgrims on the haj will be five times higher.

The world is on track to reach 1.5 C of warming in the. 2030s.

People are very religiously encouraged. For some of them, it. is a when in a life time affair, Saeed stated, as each country. receives a restricted variety of slots. If they get a possibility, they. go for it.

COOL INTERVENTIONS

In 2016, Saudi Arabia published a heat technique that. included constructing shaded areas, establishing drinking water. points every 500 metres, and improving health care capability.

Saudi health authorities warned pilgrims to stay hydrated. and avoid being outdoors in between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. during this. haj.

Pakistani pilgrim Mustafa stated he had to press his. 75-year-old mother in a wheelchair. When they attempted to rest,. they were informed by authorities to keep moving, he stated.

I was astonished to see that there were no efforts made by the. Saudi federal government to supply any shelter or any water, Mustafa. stated.

Saudi Arabia's government media workplace did not instantly. react to a request for remark.

An Egyptian medical source told the greatest death. tolls were amongst pilgrims who were not formally registered with. haj authorities and were forced to remain on the streets, exposed. to heat.

Egyptian pilgrim Sameh Al-Zayni said he received water from. Saudi authorities, and a witness saw Saudi authorities. giving out water and spraying crowds to cool them down.

Spraying water is only reliable at temperature levels below about. 35 C

(source: Reuters)