Picture for illustrative purposes only. ARCHIVE

Beaches in Fujairah and Kalba in Sharjah have been reopened after authorities cleaned up oil spills in the affected areas. The beaches were temporarily closed due to an oil spill. Authorities did not say what caused the oil spills. During the closure, red flags were raised on the affected beaches to prevent visitors from swimming in contaminated waters. Oil spills that happen in the ocean are often caused by accidents involving tankers, barges, pipelines, refineries, drilling rigs and storage facilities, but also occur from recreational boats and in marinas, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the US. Spills can be caused by equipment breaking down, human error, carelessness, natural disasters or even illegal dumping. Studies show that exposure to oil causes serious health and reproductive issues. Oil spills can be very harmful to marine birds, sea turtles and mammals, and also can harm fish and shellfish. ICA/Expat Media
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