UAE: Beaches affected by oil spills temporarily closed

Red flags were raised to prevent visitors from swimming

Published: Wed 25 May 2022, 11:53 AM

Updated: Wed 25 May 2022, 10:37 PM

By
Afkar Ali Ahmed

Beaches that had been temporarily closed due to oil spills in Fujairah and Kalba, Sharjah have now been reopened.

The affected beaches have been cleaned by the respective authorities of both Emirates.

Fujairah Environment authorities have said fishermen had informed them of an oil spill that was affecting certain beaches over the weekend. Sharjah authorities were then notified of the same.

The municipality of Kalba raised red flags on beaches in the area to prevent visitors from swimming.

An official said that these oil spills can contain a variety of materials, including crude oil from tankers, refined oil products such as gasoline and diesel, and any kind of petroleum.

She added that such oil spills impact the environment negatively, stressing that efforts must be made to address them. She also said that severe penalties must be imposed on ships that cause these spills.

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