The biggest construction site in the world, located in Saudi Arabia, is deploying robotic construction aids to cut down on working hours, after the nation faces international scrutiny over workers’ rights as a British documentary alleged that more than 21,000 Indian, Bangladeshi, and Nepalese workers have died in the Middle East country.
The Neom construction area, which is the site of the 105-mile-long “linear city” The Line, is rolling out automated robotics to assist with the construction process, spending over 1 billion Saudi Riyal ($266.6 million) on the scheme.
The robots come amid international criticism of Saudi Arabia’s worker safety issues and allegations of mistreatment across several of its large construction sites.
In a bid to diversify the nation’s economy away from oil, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund have spearheaded several major construction works across the country, including what could be the new tallest building in the world.
These projects, which began in earnest in 2017, have caused a large influx of laborers from south Asian countries, with migrants from India, Bangladesh and Nepal being the largest contributors.
The Neom site in the north of the country houses almost 3,000 workers, according to its website. The project has been funded exclusively by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, known as PIF, that oversees $700-billion-worth of construction projects across the country.The site will start using robots provided by Samsung C&T Corporation, in a joint venture announced last week.
British TV channel ITV’sdocumentary Kingdom Uncovered: Inside Saudi Arabia said that workers at Neom were treated as “trapped slaves” and “beggars,” with several violations of work safety regulations reported. Additionally, the documentary alleged that more than 21,000 Indian, Bangladeshi, and Nepalese workers have died.
What People Are Saying
Majid Mufti, the CEO of the Neom Investment Fund, said in a statement: “Sustainability at Neom is a core principle that drives not only what we build, but how we build it. By automating labor-intensive processes through robotics, we are pushing the boundaries of construction innovation.
“The Saudi Arabian National Council for Occupational Safety and Health said in a statement: “In reference to the misinformation circulating across various media platforms—particularly claims suggesting an increase in worker fatalities linked to working conditions in Saudi Arabia, accompanied by unfounded statistics lacking credible sources—the National Council unequivocally refutes these assertions.”
What Happens Next
Saudi Arabia is expected to begin construction on almost 20 soccer stadiums in preparation for hosting the World Cup in 2034. Other parts of the Neom construction project are expected to come online by 2030, though the scale of the project has been reduced significantly.
