MetMalaysia Denies Claims Of Volcanic Ash From Anak Krakatau Reaching Malaysia

A viral post on Threads claimed that harmful sulphur dioxide from Mount Anak Krakatau’s eruptions have reached Malaysia.

One of Indonesia’s most infamous active volcanoes, Mount Anak Krakatau, has been erupting since 31 August, and even spewed ash as high as 15 kilometers into the atmosphere during one of its eruptions several days later.

Understandably, many Malaysians were concerned that the volcanic ash might drift over to the peninsula and add on to the ongoing haze woes the country is suffering right now.

This gave rise to many speculations online, with some claiming that sulphur dioxide from the volcanic activity has reached our shores.

Fake info circulating on social media

A post circulating on Threads claimed that sulphur dioxide has made its way from the eruptions of Mount Anak Krakatau to Malaysian airspace.

The post has an image of a heatmap attached to it, showing dark blotches allegedly representing contaminated air over Peninsula Malaysia.

View on Threads

A WhatsApp message with the same image and warning has also been forwarded many times.

MetMalaysia says the sulphur dioxide is not in Malaysian air

The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has denied the viral claims of Mount Anak Krakatau’s volcanic ashes being present in Malaysia’s air.

According to Kosmo, MetMalaysia Director-General Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said observations of materials from the volcano shows that it is not headed towards Malaysia.

“The claim is not true. The image shared is just based on a model and does not display actual movement of material from the volcano in question.

“Based on the actual situation, the movement of ash is not towards our country, but rather to the Indian Ocean northwest of Sumatera,” he said when contacted by Kosmo.

He further clarified that research on wind movement and direction shows a low probability that the volcanic materials would reach Malaysia.

Last week, six volcanoes in Indonesia erupted on the same day. The subsequent eruptions have caused airports all around the country to bar incoming and outgoing flights for the moment due to aviation risks.