Hajj Pilgrims Death: More than 900 Hajj pilgrims have lost their lives due to heat wave in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is surprising that such a large number of deaths occurred in the city considered the holiest in Islam, even when warnings had been issued about this pilgrimage. A study published in early 2024 warned that people could be at risk of losing their lives during this pilgrimage.
Saudi scientists had warned that the temperature in Mecca and its surrounding areas is increasing due to climate change and this can have a bad effect on the health of Hajj pilgrims. In an article titled ‘Escalating climate-related health risks for Hajj pilgrims to Mecca’ in the ‘Journal of Travel Medicine’, it was told that the temperature is increasing around the world, due to which the heat wave situation can become more severe. It was given the term Heat-Related Illness (HRI), which means an increased risk of heat-related diseases for travelers going to hot climate places.
The results of the study showed that the average dry and wet bulb temperatures in maize increased by 0.4 degrees Celsius and 0.2 degrees Celsius per decade, respectively. ‘Wet-bulb temperature’ usually combines dry air temperature with humidity. Experts also found that both temperatures had a strong relationship with the incidence of heat stroke (HS) and heat exhaustion (HE).
Moreover, a 2019 study by experts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US found that even if the world manages to mitigate the worst effects of climate change, Hajj will be held in temperatures above the “extreme danger limit” from 2047 to 2052 and from 2079 to 2086.
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