SHARJAH — UAE authorities have told residents that a strong, fuel-like smell drifting across Sharjah, Dubai, Ajman and neighbouring areas since Monday poses no danger, while federal investigators try to work out where it is coming from.

The reassurance came from Sharjah's police chief on Tuesday afternoon and from the federal Ministry of Climate Change and Environment in a separate statement. Neither has said what is causing the odour, which some residents described as smelling like fuel or gas and which left some feeling nauseous.

Lt Gen Abdullah Mubarak bin Amer, commander-in-chief of Sharjah Police, addressed the complaints on Tuesday during the emirate's Direct Line radio programme.

"We have noted complaints from some members of the public about odours spreading across Sharjah and neighbouring emirates," he said, according to The National. "We would like to reassure the public that the situation is safe and stable and that there is nothing posing a threat."

He said the matter had been passed to federal authorities. "The relevant federal authorities are investigating the matter, and we will provide updates as they become available," he said.

Sharjah Police did not identify a cause when asked by The National.

The climate ministry issued its own statement on X. It said it was working with local authorities to establish the nature and source of the odours, and that its checks had so far turned up nothing alarming.

"The Ministry reassures the public that, based on the assessments conducted, there are no indications of concern," the statement said, according to Khaleej Times.

The ministry said field monitoring and response work were continuing to reduce the smell and help it disperse more quickly. It said it would tell the public promptly if any development called for precautionary measures, and that authorities would issue guidance in that case.

It also asked people not to speculate about the cause and to rely only on official channels for information, Khaleej Times reported. Gulf News said the ministry urged residents to follow updates from official sources.

Gulf News said the ministry's work with local authorities covered monitoring of the unusual odours in several parts of the country, as officials tried to verify both what the smell was and where it originated. The National said the cause was still to be determined.

Residents began complaining about the smell on Monday, October 19, according to Khaleej Times. In Dubai, reports came from Al Nahda, Mamzar and Deira. In Sharjah, the odour was said to be especially strong in Qassimiya and Rahmaniyya. In Ajman, people in Nuaimia, Al Rashidiya and the area around the Corniche also noticed it.

One resident, who gave her name as Sarah, told Khaleej Times she could detect the smell as far away as the E311 highway. She said it lingered for around two hours and faded once the wind picked up.

Some residents said they switched off their air conditioning and closed their windows to keep the smell out, the newspaper reported.

Residents in parts of Sharjah and Dubai described the smell on social media and other platforms, The National said.

The episode comes at a tense time for the Gulf. The National noted that it has previously reported on the environmental effects of tanker strikes in the Arabian Gulf linked to the Iran war, and that experts have warned that oil spills and toxic debris from such strikes could harm the environment and wildlife for years.

Officials have not linked the odour to those attacks or to any other incident, and none of the statements issued so far has pointed to a specific site or substance.

Dubai Police and Dubai Municipality were approached for comment by The National. The newspaper did not report a response from either.

The climate ministry has not said how long its assessment will take or which local bodies it is working with. It said monitoring would continue and that any precautionary advice would be passed to the public as soon as it was needed, while the Sharjah police chief said updates from the federal investigation would follow as they became available.