The haze that has swept across the southern provinces eased substantially on Saturday after rain across the region and a change in wind blew much of it out to sea.
The level of dust particles with a size of less than 10 micrometres, or PM10, from Indonesian forest fires remained beyond the safety standard of 120 µg/cu m in many provinces and continued to pose a health risk.
In Songkhla, the PM10 level dropped from 260 on Friday to 130 yesterday. The level in Satun dropped from 217 to 116, while in Narathiwat it fell from 136 to 122. In Pattani the level was down from 167 to 130 and in Yala from 162 to 124.
The dust in other provinces is within the safety level, and all airline flights in the South have returned to normal after Friday's disruption.
Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department chief Chatchai Promlert said the situation had greatly improved because of rainfall.
The wind had also changed direction, which helped ease the problem.
However, hospitals and clinics in Yala province yesterday faced an influx of patients with haze-related illnesses.
Yala health chief Uthitsak Harirattanakul said many people were being affected by the pollution and were mostly suffering eye irritation and breathing difficulties.
He ordered teams of doctors and health volunteers to visit villages and provide advice about haze precautionary measures.
Face masks were being handed out to people in affected areas, especially the elderly, children, pregnant women and those at risk of respiratory illness.
Dr Uthitsak urged people to drink more water and gargle with salt water to help ease sore throats.
In Trang, the haze was affecting tourism as dense smog shrouded several tourist destinations in Kantang district.
Among the affected places were Koh Mook, Koh Kradan, Koh Chuak and the Emerald Cave.
It was reported that a thick layer of smog had reduced visibility to 200 to 300 metres.
In Narathiwat and Nakhon Si Thammarat, the thick dust fluctuated beyond the safety threshold and local authorities continued to distribute face masks and provide precautionary measures.