Malaysia is not expected to experience volcanic ash or toxic gas entering its atmosphere over the next 72 hours, despite ongoing eruptions at several volcanoes in Indonesia, according to the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia).
MetMalaysia director-general Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said the department was continuously monitoring wind movements and the spread of ash and dust from active volcanoes in Indonesia.
“Forecasts up to 72 hours ahead from the MyCMAQ (Malaysia Community Multi-scale Air Quality Model) show that there is no expectation of such movement,” he told Berita Harian.
He said MetMalaysia was monitoring the situation using information from Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres (VAAC), satellite data, atmospheric observations and the MyCMAQ model.
The movement of volcanic material depends on factors including wind direction and speed at different atmospheric levels as well as the height and duration of an eruption, he said.
Social media posts in recent days had claimed that toxic sulphur dioxide gas released by volcanic eruptions in Indonesia had entered Malaysia’s atmosphere, accompanied by infographics showing wind movements from Indonesia towards the country.
Mohd Hisham said there were no indications that volcanic ash or sulphur dioxide from the Indonesian eruptions had entered Malaysian airspace.
“Therefore, claims such as those in the viral information are not true, taking into account current monitoring data,” he said.
He added that Malaysia continued to cooperate with Indonesian meteorological and volcanological agencies in monitoring volcanic activity.
Volcanic ash monitoring is carried out through nine VAAC centres under the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), with the Darwin centre in Australia and Tokyo centre in Japan providing monitoring for the ASEAN region.
The information is updated and shared internationally as conditions develop.
