Ash clouds from volcanic activity in Ethiopia are drifting towards China and will move away from India by 7.30 pm on Tuesday, the India Meteorological Department said.
Ash plumes from the recent eruption of the Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia impacted flight operations in India on Monday.
Forecast models indicated ash influence over Gujarat, Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana on Tuesday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said the ash clouds are drifting towards China and will move away from Indian skies by 7.30 pm.
According to the IMD, Hayli Gubbi, a shield volcano in Ethiopia's Afar region, erupted on Sunday, producing a large ash plume that rose to around 14 km (45,000 ft).
The plume spread eastward across the Red Sea and towards the Arabian Peninsula and the Indian subcontinent.
"High-level winds carried the ash cloud from Ethiopia across the Red Sea to Yemen and Oman and further over the Arabian Sea towards western and northern India," the IMD said in a statement
It said the IMD closely monitored satellite imagery, advisories from Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres (VAACs) and dispersion models.
Its Met Watch Offices in Mumbai, New Delhi and Kolkata issued ICAO-standard Significant Meteorological Information (SIGMET) warnings to airports.
These advisories included directions to avoid affected airspace and flight levels identified in the VAAC bulletins.
The IMD said continuous monitoring of MET and ash advisories is used for flight planning, including adjustments to routing and fuel calculations based on alternate paths.
Flights over the region may face rerouting, longer flight times or holding patterns, the Met office added.
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Delhi: No respite from toxic air amid fears of volcanic ash
A thick haze hung over Delhi on Monday as the city's air quality remained 'very poor' amid concerns that ash clouds may worsen pollution levels in the region.
According to the morning air quality bulletin issued by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the air quality index (AQI) in the national capital remained in the 'very poor' category on Thursday at 360, after recording 382 on Monday.
One of the monitoring stations, Rohini, recorded 'severe' air quality with a reading of 416, according to the Sameer app developed by the CPCB.
The air quality is expected to remain in the 'very poor' category over the next few days.
According to the CPCB, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe',
On the weather front, the minimum temperature in Delhi settled at 9 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, 2.3 notches below the season's average, while the maximum temperature is likely to hover around 27 degrees Celsius, with a forecast of mist and moderate fog.
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