- Ash at 45,000 feet will not affect Pakistan’s atmosphere.
- Sindh land saw no impact from passing ash cloud.
- Oman, Yemen, Pakistan declared clear of volcanic ash.
KARACHI: Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has said the country’s airspace is clear and its atmosphere will not be affected by ash from a “silent” volcano that erupted in Ethiopia after 12,000 years, with the clouds now moving towards India and China.
Ethiopia’s Hayli Gubbi volcano sent ash plumes up to 14km (8.7 miles) high after erupting on Sunday for the first time in recorded history, according to media reports.
Met department spokesperson Anjum Nazir, speaking to Geo News, said volcanic ash was seen on Tuesday at 10am at an altitude of 45,000 feet south of Gwadar. He said this ash had passed over Sindh from the Arabian Sea and “has had no effects on the land of Sindh.”
Nazir said the volcanic ash had already moved towards India and would move towards India’s Rajasthan, while the volcanic ash clouds are now visible moving towards India.
He added that, so far, Pakistan’s airspace is now clear. According to him, since this morning, the areas of Oman, Yemen and Pakistan have become clear.
He stated that the volcanic ash was at an altitude of 45,000 feet, that it would not affect Pakistan’s northern areas, atmosphere and that it would not cause any increase in the country’s air pollution. Nazir also said volcanic ash cannot be seen on ordinary satellite imagery.
Ash cloud over India, moving to China
The India Meteorological Department said the effects of the ash rising from the volcano were observed as far as Delhi, Gujarat and Rajasthan, and that the effects of the ash rising from the volcano were also observed as far as Punjab and Haryana.
It said the ash clouds are moving towards China and that the ash clouds will leave India by Tuesday evening at 7:30pm.
Air India said it had cancelled 11 flights on Monday and Tuesday to make precautionary checks on aircraft that had flown over some locations after the eruption, following a directive to airlines from India’s aviation regulator.
Smaller peer Akasa said it had scrapped scheduled flights with Middle East destinations such as Jeddah, Kuwait, and Abu Dhabi scheduled during the two days.
The departments referred to “the incident of a silent volcano erupting in Ethiopia after 12,000 years,” which has sent ash across parts of the region but, according to Pakistan’s Met Department, without affecting the land, atmosphere or air quality in the country.
— With additional input from Reuters
