The Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia’s Afar region erupted on Sunday for the first time in nearly 12,000 years, emitting an ash plume that rose to approximately 14 km in altitude.
The Pakistani meteorological authorities, specifically the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), confirm that the ash cloud is not expected to affect Karachi or other coastal regions of Pakistan, because the cloud is projected to pass over the deep Arabian Sea rather than over land.
Earlier predictions from the Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) had suggested the ash might brush southern Pakistan after moving over Yemen and Oman, but updated modelling shows the plume will mainly travel over the Arabian Sea, Oman and parts of India’s flight region.
The PMD has issued an aviation watch alert, emphasising that while airspace at high altitudes (around 40,000–50,000 feet) may face hazards to aircraft, no direct threat to ground-level populations or coastal land is anticipated.