KUALA LUMPUR: There are no indications that toxic volcanic ash from an eruption in Indonesia is moving across Malaysian airspace, as recently claimed on social media.
Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) director-general Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said current monitoring showed that volcanic ash, including from Gunung Anak Krakatau, was moving towards the Indian Ocean northwest of Sumatra, rather than towards Malaysia.
He said the volcano is 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 happened 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 on Thursday (Sept 10).
On current weather conditions, Mohd Hisham said the country was still experiencing a normal El Niño phase, which was gradually developing from weak to moderate and strong before potentially reaching a very strong or Super El Nino phase.
He said Super El Nino 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 sulfur dioxide from the latest eruption of Gunung Anak Krakatau in Indonesia 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, previously experienced continuous eruptive activity for about 25 hours, beginning at 11.07pm on Sept 4 and ending at 12.04am on Sept 6. – Benama
