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Centre ‘closely monitoring’ volcanic ash plumes, says ‘no cause for concern’
In its update, the civil aviation ministry also assured that flight operations across India "remain smooth".
Air traffic in India was severely disrupted due to the ash plumes from a volcanic eruption in Ethiopia, with several flights being cancelled or delayed across the country.
The civil aviation ministry said that it was working with the air traffic control (ATC), the India Meteorological Department (IMD), airlines and international aviation agencies, to ensure seamless coordination amid disruptions due to the ash plumes. Follow live updates on Ethiopian volcanic eruption
Following the volcanic eruption, the ash plume traveled across Yemen, Oman and the Arabian Sea on Monday evening and entered Gujarat and Rajasthan. Around midnight, it came near Delhi and through Tuesday it moved across and east and northeast India.
In a post on X, the ministry said that it was "closely monitoring" the situation, adding that it will provide timely updates on the matter to ensure passenger safety.
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Additionally, the ministry also assured that flight operations across India "remain smooth", with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) issuing necessary NOTAM and keeping all affected flights informed.
"There is no cause for concern at the moment," it added.
IMD said that the ash cloud “is moving towards China through east and northeast India”.
Flightradar24 is also tracking the movement of the plumes, and according to its latest update, the volcanic ash cloud is detected over northern India, "moving quickly toward China".
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In connection to the ash plume's effect on air quality and weather, IMD director general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra told news agency ANI that the impact of the volcanic ash is "being seen only in the upper troposphere, and it is affecting the flight operations".
"It has no impact on air quality and weather. Our estimate is that this volcanic ash will completely move towards China by evening," he added.
Narottam Sahoo, advisor to the Gujarat Council on Science and Technology, explained that the silent volcano in Ethiopia became active and erupted after 12,000 years "due to a tectonic activity" in the region.
According to IMD, the ash cloud is likely to leave India by 14:00 GMT (7:30 pm local time) on Tuesday.
