Ash cloud from Africa volcano reaches India

A windborne cloud of ash from a volcanic eruption in Ethiopia traversed swathes of Northwest India on Monday night, crossing Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi-NCR and Punjab, hampering visibility and disrupting air traffic as it headed eastwards across the subcontinent.

- Jasjeev Gandhiok and Neha LM Tripathi

The ash came from the Hayli Gubbi volcano, which erupted for the first time in nearly 12,000 years on Sunday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the altitude of the cloud—above 10 km—meant that air pollution levels in an already struggling Delhi, where it reached around llpm, would not be significantly affected. IMD added the impact over cities in India was likely limited to a few hours, with the plume rapidly moving eastwards.

Akasa Air and IndiGo said several of their flights were diverted or cancelled. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued an advisory to airlines in the evening after the plume was detected over the Muscat Flight Information Region (FIR) and adjoining areas. The cloud crossed into India through Rajasthan at 6.30 pm, travelling at speeds of between 100 km/hour and 120 km/hour.

In the advisory, DGCA told airlines to avoid affected altitudes and regions according to the latest guidance. The volcanic ash advisory, issued along with an ASHTAM - a special aviation alert issued as a type of NOTAM (notice to airmen) to caution pilots about hazardous volcanic conditions-asked all Indian aviation operators to brief personnel on the 'Operations Manual ensuring strict compliance with established procedures.

Volcanic Ash', Any suspected encounter with volcanic ash, including engine performance fluctuations or cabin smoke/odour, must be reported "immediately," DGCA said.

"It began to affect Gujarat and Rajasthan from Monday evening and is likely to affect parts of Delhi-NCR by late on Monday night or in the early hours of Tuesday," M Mohapatra, IMD Director General, told this newspaper, adding surfacelevel impact was unlikely.

"It is in the upper levels so we will not see significant impact near the surface. It will appear as a hazy, cloudy sky with its impact expected for a few hours as it continues to move further eastwards," he said.