New Delhi: The rare volcanic eruption in Ethiopia triggered panic in several countries, including India. The ash cloud that emanated from Hayli Gubbi volcano impacted air traffic.
However, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), it will leave the Indian landmass by Tuesday night.
The ash plume was carried across Yemen, Oman and the Arabian Sea by high-altitude winds on Monday evening, before it entered Gujarat and Rajasthan. It reached Delhi around midnight, and moved across east and northeast India through Tuesday.
Explaining the phenomenon seldom experienced in India, the IMD assured there will be no impact on the surface or the weather.
“We are expecting that the cloud will clear up from the Indian region by Wednesday. These are ash particles mainly which are moving at a height of 8 km to 15 km. So the main impact is on aviation and aircraft operations over Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai. We have been issuing those warnings,” said IMD director general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra.
“There is no impact on the surface or the weather. There is no concern of exposure either because at that height, the wind speed is around 100 kmph to 150 kmph so the particles move away. There is hardly any time to settle down. But if a western disturbance were impacting us and there was rain, these particles would have settled,” explained Mohapatra.
“The ash cloud is moving towards China through east and northeast India,” he added.
‘Flight operations smooth across India’
The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said on Tuesday that flight operations across the country remain “smooth and stable” despite precautionary rerouting of specific flights due to volcanic ash drifting from Ethiopia.
Assuring passengers that there is no cause for concern, MoCA said in a statement it has been closely coordinating with the Air Traffic Control (ATC), IMD, all the airlines and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) following the eruption in Hayli Gubbi volcano after almost 10,000 years.
The ministry said AAI has issued the required NOTAM, and all affected flights informed in real time.
“Operations across India remain smooth, with only a few flights rerouted or descended as a precautionary measure. We continue to monitor the situation closely and will provide timely updates to ensure passenger safety,” MoCA added.
