The vegetation cover in the Makkah region of Saudi Arabia has recorded a significant increase of 600% in the last five months, Gulf News quoted the Saudi government as saying on Saturday.

According to the Saudi National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification, the astonishing surge in the green cover was recorded during the period from August to December 2023.

The centre cited rainy conditions experienced during the period as the reason for the vegetation cover as rainfall levels reached up to 200mm in certain areas.

Analysis of the data showed that the green cover area in Makkah was around 3,529.4 square kilometres in August last year, a total of 2.3% of the region’s total area.

Read: Makkah mountains turn into pasture with unusually long grass

The coverage expanded exponentially owing to rainfall in the later months as the vegetation cover reached 26,256 square kilometres, a total of 17.1% of the Makkah region area.

The greenery was predominant in the mountainous and highland regions along the Red Sea coast including Makkah city, Taif, Al Laith, Al Jumum, Al Kamil, and Khulais.