Saudi Arabia is issuing pilgrims with electronic bracelets and using more surveillance cameras to avoid a repeat of a crush that killed hundreds last year.
This year, efforts are being made to strengthen crowd management.
Thousands of civil servants, security personnel and medics have been conducting drills in preparation for the pilgrimage, which officially starts this week.
The kingdom says it is deploying extra staff and increasing co-ordination with Haj missions from pilgrims’ home countries to ensure worshippers comply with agreed schedules to perform various rituals.
Hundreds of new surveillance cameras had been installed at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah.
“The scheduling programme is the most important part of the operational programme,” Interior Ministry spokesman Major General Mansour Turki said.
“This is the area we have to concentrate on, to make sure pilgrims comply with it once they get there.”
Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq al-Awsat said last month the Makkah Development Authority had set up electronic paths and gates to manage crowds heading to Jamarat, the symbolic stoning of the devil where many previous disasters have occurred.
The kingdom also is kitting pilgrims out with electronic wristbands to enable authorities to track the flow of people and get early warnings of crowd build-ups.