Karbala Municipality has announced on Sunday a comprehensive service plan for Muharram and the Ashura pilgrimage. 

The plan will address the needs of the large number of visitors expected during this religious period.

Hassan Al-Sharifi, Municipality Director, said that the plan involves mobilizing significant staff and resources, including almost 500 vehicles and 10 tons of garbage bags.
 
Efforts will begin on the first night of Muharram, with the replacement of banners on the domes of the shrines of Imams Hussein and Abu Al-Fadl Al-Abbas.

The strategy includes three work shifts, with a particular focus on night shifts to manage activities during evening processions and to cope with high temperatures.

Protective equipment will be provided for sanitation workers to ensure their safety.

The central workshop, eight municipal sectors, and the parks division will participate in the plan, with additional sanitation workers deployed for key mourning days, such as Tasua and Ashura. The service plan will extend through the thirteenth of Muharram and will be updated daily to accommodate visitor numbers.

With security preparations in Najaf province ongoing, the provincial police have launched preemptive operations and outlined a security plan for Muharram, involving intelligence and various security units, to ensure the safety of pilgrims on the tenth of Muharram.

The plan, directed by Interior Minister Abdul Amir Al-Shammari, includes collaboration with traffic police, civil defense, and intelligence services to protect mourning gatherings and processions, secure key areas, and coordinate with service departments and holy shrines.

The Iraqi Prime Minister on Sunday referred to the approaching season of million-visits and the events of Muharram, including a visit to commemorate the 40th day after the martyrdom of Imam Hussein and his companions. 

He viewed this as an opportunity for all service agencies to reinforce efforts, benefit from reviewing successful experiences, and generalize them, especially the organization and implementation aspects as demonstrated by the authority.