Haze from forest fires in Sumatra, Indonesia, again covered parts of Songkhla on Tuesday, but the situation was not as serious as before, officials said.
Hat Yai city was the most affected. From the top of Kho Hong mountain, the entire city this morning could be seen blanketed with rather thick smoke.
Halem Chemarikan, director of the 16th Regional Environment Office, said the overall haze situation in southernmost provinces was not as serious as two weeks ago. The average air particulate reading was still under the safety standard of 120 microgrammes per cubic metre (mcg).
He believed the haze would dissipate in a few days.
Phayao Muangngam, director of the Meteorological Centre of the Eastern Coast of the South, said the haze returned to hit the South because of the influence of tropical storm Koppu in the South China Sea and the weakening high pressure wedge over upper Thailand.
She believed the situation would return to normal on Oct 22 or 23.