BANGKOK, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's southern province of Songkhla said on Wednesday that air quality has improved with PM2.5 reading within safety standard at 20-40 microgrammes per cubic meter.
However the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) on Wednesday warned that haze from forest fires in Sumatra Island could return this weekend due to intensifying southwest monsoon wind.
The TMD said on its website that "intensifying southwest monsoon wind could blow the haze back to southern Thailand from Sept 28 onwards. The situation will return to normal when the monsoon wind changes the direction in the second or the third week of October."
Uthitsak Harirattanakul, Provincial Chief Medical Officer of Songkhla said that authorities are on alert and have been monitoring the dust haze, which has blanketed several Thai southern provinces for almost a week.
He said the provincial health office has stockpiled 200,000 face masks for distribution to local residents if the haze situation worsens.
