Monsoon covers entire country; Delhi's air turns cleaner

NEW DELHI: The monsoon has covered the entire country, 17 days ahead of its regular onset date, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Friday.

The monsoon reached Sriganganagar, its last outpost in the country located in west Rajasthan. Its normal date to reach Sriganganagar was July 15.

"The monsoon today covered the entire country," Additional Director General Mritunjay Mohapatra said.

The monsoon covers the entire country by July 1, but West Rajasthan gets rains later, he said.

But this year, due to good easterly rains, it has taken the rains to the entire country early, Mohapatra added.

The four-month monsoon season begins typically from June 1 and ends on September 30.

This year, monsoon touched Kerala on May 29, three days ahead of its regular onset date of June 1. It battered the western coast in the first half of June.

However, after a brief lull, it made a steady advance.

On Thursday, it reached Kerala, a day ahead of its schedule. The monsoon deficiency, which until early this week was 10 per cent, went down to six per cent on Friday.

The Southwest Monsoon gives 70 per rains to the country, where agriculture remains a significant contributor to the GDP.

There was finally some good news for Delhi denizens used to breathing in noxious fumes. With monsoon winds washing away the dust the air quality was at a "satisfactory" level for the first time in nearly a year, authorities said.

The south-west monsoon hit Delhi this week with light rain on Monday and heavy showers on Thursday, bringing respite not only from the sweltering heat but also from the pollution which had peaked to unexpected levels this month.

The Air Quality Index or AQI value for the capital was a "satisfactory" 83 on Friday. It touched this level on Wednesday after the heavy pre-monsoon showers, according to the Central Pollution Control Board data.

An Air Quality Index (AQI) between 0-50 is considered "Good", 51-100 "Satisfactory", 101-200 "Moderate", 201-300 "Poor", 301-400 "Very Poor", and 401-500 "Severe".

The last time residents of Delhi breathed such clean air was in August last year, an official with the Central Pollution Control Board said.

"The air quality will further improve on Saturday, and It might even touch 'good' level in the coming days," said a scientist at the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research Institute (SAFAR).