There is no indication that toxic volcanic ash from an eruption in Indonesia is drifting across Malaysian airspace, contrary to claims circulating on social media.
Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) director-general Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said monitoring showed that volcanic ash, including ash from Gunung Anak Krakatau, was moving towards the Indian Ocean northwest of Sumatra instead of Malaysia.
He said the volcano was also being closely monitored by an international monitoring centre in Darwin, Australia.
“The volcanic eruption or earthquake and the El Niño phenomenon affecting the country are two separate matters with no direct connection. They occurred around the same period, which led some people to assume that they were related.
“Monitoring shows that the ash is moving towards open waters, not towards the peninsula, Sabah or Sarawak. I deny the viral claim and urge the public, especially keyboard warriors, to stop spreading unverified information to avoid causing panic,” he said.
Mohd Hisham was speaking as a guest on Fokus 30, a Bernama Radio programme titled ‘Super El Nino: Impact on the Country’, today.
On the weather situation, he said Malaysia was currently experiencing a normal El Niño phase, which was gradually developing from weak to moderate and strong levels before potentially reaching a very strong or Super El Niño phase.
He said Super El Niño conditions were expected towards the end of the Northeast Monsoon, around March or April next year, particularly in the northern states of the peninsula.
Earlier, a social media post went viral claiming that sulphur dioxide from the latest eruption of Gunung Anak Krakatau had entered Malaysian airspace. The post featured red and orange atmospheric model images and urged the public to wear face masks.
Gunung Anak Krakatau, located in the Sunda Strait, had previously recorded continuous eruptive activity for about 25 hours, beginning at 11.07pm on Sept 4 and ending at 12.04am on Sept 6.
