The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia‘s Roads General Authority on Thursday, May 30, announced the expansion of the asphalt surface cooling initiative in several locations within the holy sites for the upcoming Haj 1445-2024.
This comes in partnership with several relevant entities, including the ministry of municipal and rural affairs and housing, ministry of Haj and Umrah, pilgrim experience program, quality of life program, and the holy capital municipality.
The initiatiave has been implemented next to Namira Mosque in Arafat, covering an area of 25,000 square metres.
It aims to reduce temperatures in neighbourhoods and residential areas, lower the energy used to cool buildings and mitigate the effects of climate change.
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This technology contributes to providing a more comfortable environment in waiting areas and locations where people gather, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The idea of this initiative, first implemented in 2023 in the holy sites, aims to combat heat absorption caused by roads, which can reach 70 degree Celsius during the day. Roads then release this heat at night, causing a phenomenon known as the ‘urban heat island effect’, which leads to increased energy consumption and air pollution.
The study explores the use of ‘cool pavements’, locally produced materials that absorb less solar radiation, to combat the ‘urban heat island effect’.
The authority is conducting research and practical experiments in the road sector to align with the sector’s strategic vision and promote innovation.
The road sector’s strategy aims to enhance road quality, improve global ranking, and decrease fatalities to less than five per 100,000 people by 2030.
On Friday, May 17, the head of the Saudi National Centre of Meteorology (NCM), Dr. Ayman bin Salem Ghulam, predicted high temperatures for the upcoming Haj pilgrimage.
In an interview with Arabic channel Al-Arabiya, Ghulam said that this year’s Haj season falls in June, a period when temperatures and humidity levels are usually high.
Haj is expected to begin on June 14. However, the date is subject to change pending an official announcement by the Saudi Arabia moon sighting committee in the days leading up to the Haj.
