He was calm…very calm and had been in such peace for the last 12 thousand years, but suddenly he burst. When it exploded, it exploded in such a way that the cloud of smoke crossed the rivers, streams, seas, oceans, mountains, plateaus and reached India and the capital Delhi was covered with a blanket of smoke, even if only for a few hours. Now the smoke has cleared. The sky of Delhi is blue again and people have questions in their minds as to what happened that what was calm for 12 thousand years suddenly burst.

Pile of ashes rose 15 km high

Ethiopia is the only country in Africa which Europe could never capture. Approximately 11 crore people are citizens of this country. In this country, a volcano that had been sleeping for 12 thousand years has suddenly erupted. Due to its eruption, a plume of sulfur dioxide and ash reached a height of about 15 km and turned into smoke which crossed the Red Sea, crossed Yemen-Oman, reached the Arabian Gulf from Pakistan to India and now from here it has passed to China.

The flame of Gubbi volcano reached Delhi

The smoke that has caused this devastation is due to the Haile Gubbi volcano, which is in the Afar region of Ethiopia. Although there has been no loss of life due to the eruption of this volcano, wherever this cloud of smoke has reached, people have had some trouble breathing and flights on this route have had to be either canceled or diverted for some time because the ash could damage the flight engine. In India too, 11 flights had to be canceled because the ash had reached Delhi. The biggest question is why did Heli Gubbi explode?

Why did Heli Gubbi volcano erupt?

We understand it by a brick kiln or the chimney in our kitchen. When you cook food in the kitchen, smoke fills the house and to expel it you turn on the chimney. The smoke goes out through the chimney and your house becomes empty of smoke. Similarly, a volcano is the chimney of the earth. The inside of the earth is also full of hot lava, gas and ash. Hot lava is very light and tries to come to the surface.

When the tectonic plates of the earth collide with each other, then this lava tries to come to the surface and only at such a time it tears the upper surface of the earth and comes out. As soon as it comes out, the lava starts freezing and a mountain-like shape is formed. This is called volcano. To put it in simple language, the earth has its own chimney.

Now since the earth is very big, it also has many chimneys. Almost more than 1500. Most of these are in the Ring of Fire area of ​​the Pacific Ocean, where most earthquakes occur and most volcanic eruptions also occur. If we talk in statistics, then 90 percent of the world’s earthquakes and 75 percent of volcanic eruptions occur in this Ring of Fire.

Volcano which had been quiet for 10-12 thousand years suddenly erupted

No one has the correct answer as to why Heli Gubbi erupted, because this volcano has always been silent in the last 10-12 thousand years of history, but generally, all the volcanoes that erupt are due to the tectonic plates of the earth, due to whose movement the volcano explodes because due to the movement of the plates, the pressure on the lava filled inside the volcano increases and it starts struggling to come to the surface of the earth.

Heli Gubbi is part of the Erta Ale volcanic chain and is its southernmost point. This is part of the Afar Rift, where the Earth’s tectonic plates are continuously shifting. This is the reason why other volcanoes in this area like Erta Ale have already been monitored. Due to the calmness of Heli Gubbi, no one noticed and when it exploded, scientists did not get a chance to recover and they could not issue any warning. According to preliminary information, there is a wall of magma beneath the Erta Ale volcanic chain and a wall of 50 km has been broken. The reason for the breaking of this wall was an earthquake, whose intensity was 4.7.

Increased problems for common people in Ethiopia

Now the question for common people and scientists is what will happen next? Common people are directly affected by this. The people who are affected are small farmers and cattle herders. The place where the volcanic eruption took place in the Afar region of Ethiopia is a desert area where there are small villages. Ashes have spread in these villages, due to which there is a crisis of fodder for animals.

If this ash is not removed soon, then there will be a crisis of fodder for the cattle and even if they do not die due to the volcanic eruption, they may die of hunger due to the loss of fodder in the ash. The second impact will be on those who are respiratory patients. Wherever the air comes in contact with the ash emanating from this volcano, people will have trouble breathing.

This is a golden opportunity for scientists to understand volcanoes better. They will try to understand why the volcano which had been sleeping for 12 thousand years erupted. What is the secret of the silence of the volcanoes which have been silent for a long time in other parts of the world?

Ethiopia’s Haile Gubbi volcano erupted on Sunday (23 November 2025) after about 10 thousand years. Meanwhile, it is feared that the cloud of ash rising after the volcanic eruption may further increase the pollution in the area. The ash plume reached a height of about 14 kilometers (45,000 feet) and began spreading eastward toward the Red Sea.

Big updates till now

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), these clouds of ash are moving towards China and will move away from India by 3:30 pm on Tuesday (25 November 2025). According to the report of news agency ANI, meteorologist Radheshyam Sharma said that the ash cloud arising from the Ethiopian volcanic eruption will not have any special impact in Rajasthan. He said that its effect has been seen in this particular area in the last 10 to 15 hours.

IMD scientist said that the ash from the Ethiopian volcanic eruption is crossing the areas of Eastern India. He said, “Since the height of these ash clouds is 8 to 15 kilometers, no significant impact was seen on the surface. This ash is currently moving in the east-northeast direction.”

The Civil Aviation Ministry, international agencies, ATC, Meteorological Department and airlines are constantly coordinating among themselves on the situation. Airport Authority of India has issued necessary NOTAM regarding this, complete information is being given to the flights which may be affected by this. The Aviation Ministry said, “At present, air operations are normal. Only a few aircraft have been diverted or landed back as a precautionary measure. There is no cause for concern at this time.”

Ethiopia’s Hayli Gubbi volcano ERUPTS after 10,000 years!

A massive 15 km ash plume is drifting across the region towards Yemen & Oman… and now headed towards North India.

Multiple flights impacted, Govt issues advisory to airlines for potential flight hazards.… pic.twitter.com/NmRTD9Uono

— TridentX ᴵⁿᵗᵉˡ (@TridentxIN) November 25, 2025

According to Flightradar24, ash from the volcanic eruption is currently seen over northern India and is rapidly moving towards China. Now the threat is considered greater for China. According to Indian Meteorological Agency IndiaMetSky, in the coming few days this fine dust will move towards the Pacific Ocean with the subtropical jet stream. The biggest relief is that there is no danger anywhere on the surface.

According to IMD, it has not and will not have any impact on AQI. SO2 levels have also become normal in the Himalayan Terai, the hills of Nepal or the plains of North India. Above 40,000 feet only a faint trace of SO2 is left, which will spread rapidly and become inactive. IndiaMetSky told that wherever this fine dust remains in the upper atmosphere, sunrise and sunset will appear very colorful and spectacular. Shades of red, purple and orange colors will cover the sky, just like what is seen all over the world after a major volcanic eruption.

Ethiopia Volcanic Ash: The layer of ash that arose after the volcanic eruption in Ethiopia will be completely removed from India by Tuesday evening. According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), this ash was spread over many parts of north-west India since Monday and also affected flight operations for some time. IMD Director General Mrityunjay Mohapatra said that the ash clouds are now moving towards China and will disappear from India by 7.30 pm on Tuesday. It first entered Gujarat on Monday, then spread to Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Delhi-NCR, Haryana and Punjab overnight.

How did the ash cloud reach India?

The shield volcano named Haile Gubbi, located in the Afar region of Ethiopia, erupted on Sunday after about 10,000 years. Ash rose to a height of 14 km (about 45,000 feet). According to the Toulouse VAAC, the huge cloud of ash formed during the eruption at 8:30 am GMT on Sunday continued to move towards northern India even after the eruption stopped. The ash rising from the Afar region, with strong upper winds, crossed the Red Sea, reached Yemen and Oman and then crossed the Arabian Sea and entered western and northern India. IMD said that this plume was tracked through satellite imagery, VAAC advisory and models.

How dangerous for health

In Delhi, there was a slight ash-like haze in the sky and the air quality remained in the ‘very poor’ category. According to reports, a large amount of sulfur dioxide also came out during the volcanic eruption. Such high presence of gas has increased concerns about the possible threat to the environment and people’s health. Volcanic ash is not like the soft ash left in a common fire. It contains very fine, rough and sharp particles of rocks, minerals and glass. Their size can be so small that they are not even visible to the naked eye, and can also be so large that they leave scratches on the eyes or sensitive skin. Sometimes this ash also contains crystalline silica which, if inhaled for a long time, can cause serious lung disease like silicosis.

What effect does it have on health?

According to the CDC, these problems can occur even after short exposure. In this

• persistent cough or difficulty breathing
• sore throat
• redness or irritation in the eyes
• headache or fatigue
• Slight nausea if too much ash is inhaled

These symptoms intensify in people with asthma, bronchitis or any kind of respiratory disease. Can be felt. Being exposed to ash for long periods of time and in large quantities can cause serious lung problems in the future, such as in those near volcanoes. However, such is not the situation in India, but it is important to be cautious.

How to protect?

• Stay indoors as much as possible and keep doors and windows closed.
• If it is necessary to go out, wear an N95 mask.
• Do not run an air-conditioning setting that draws outside air in.
• Keep removing the ash accumulated outside the house from the doors and ventilation system.

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Disclaimer: This information is based on research studies and expert opinion. Do not consider this as a substitute for medical advice. Before adopting any new activity or exercise, please consult your doctor or relevant specialist.

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