Mohammed Nasser Khan, Afsar Jalsa Salana
With Jalsa Salana UK right around the corner (starting Friday 2 August) preparations in Hadeeqatul Mahdi are moving at full speed.
Currently there is a huge amount of work taking place to prepare for the Jalsa at various locations, including in Hadeeqatul Mahdi, Baitul-Futuh and Islamabad. Volunteers are flooding the Jalsa Salana site every day to offer their services in preparations.
At present, many of the marquees have already been erected, including the scanning and food marquees. The two main marquees for men and ladies, which will serve as the Jalsa Gah and where the Jalsa proceedings will take place, are currently being erected.
The wooden flooring that is laid in the various marquees is fitted every year by Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya and Ansarullah through waqar-e-amal. In Hadeeqatul Mahdi, we will have approximately 100 portable shower and toilet cabins for guests, while temporary lavatories are also being built from scratch by our very own Khuddam. Specialist teams consisting of our own Khuddam and Ansar connect these facilities to our water supply and sewage systems for the inflow and outflow of water and waste.
There is a huge demand for electricity supply and lighting throughout the Jalsa period. Our volunteer teams have already done 50% of the electrical wiring throughout the site. Volunteers have also completed approximately half of the plumbing and maintenance works required during the Jalsa period.
On average, we install 12 miles of metal tracking throughout Hadeeqatul Mahdi. This year, Insha-Allah, in view of weather forecasts predicting sun during the three days of Jalsa, 9 miles of tracks will be sufficient.
We always have contingency plans in place to deal with any eventualities and adverse weather conditions. At present, 45% of these tracks have been installed.
Marquees have been put up at Jamia Ahmadiyya UK in Haslemere where some guests will be staying. Additional portable showers and toilets have also been delivered to Jamia and 50% of the electricity requirements on this site have been completed.
With Islamabad being the new Markaz where Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa resides, we expect a huge flow of guests in Islamabad. The kitchen, or Langar, is serving lunch and dinner for guests on a daily basis now.
A huge aspect of the Jalsa Salana site is water supply as well. On average, the total amount of water used during the Jalsa period is 2.2 million litres of water. We use pillow tanks to store the water, with each tank holding 100,000 litres of water. 7-8 of these tanks pump water out to showers, toilets etc.
Our entire water supply is first cleaned through a process known as chlorination, then an external company takes 12-13 samples of the water from varying points throughout our water network, after which they test the samples taken and finally provide a report to the council. Only when the results are approved are we permitted to use our water supply for Jalsa Salana.
At the moment, there is an organised Waqf-e-Arzi (voluntary work dedicated for the service of the Jamaat) taking place by Khuddam and they are also covering various security posts throughout Hadeeqatul Mahdi 24 hours a day.
As each day passes, the intensity of the work increases and by the grace of Allah, we are witnessing an increasing number of volunteers who are arriving to take part in waqar-e-amal.
We request prayers from Al Hakam readers and members of the Jamaat for the success of Jalsa Salana UK 2019.
