Haze from forest and ground burning drifted back over Indonesia's Central Kalimantan province, ending the reprieve brought by several days of rain, the meteorology office said.

"The haze was bad again this morning, with visibility below 100 metres at around 6am and around 200 metres an hour later," said Hidayat of the meteorology office in Palangkaraya, the provincial capital, Thursday.

Winds reaching 10 knots helped clear the haze and return visibility to around 1,500 metres at about 10:00 am (0200 GMT), he said. "We are lucky that there were some strong winds from the south and southeast this morning," Hidayat said.

Palangkaraya has been one of the cities on Borneo island hardest hit by the thick choking haze from forest and ground fires, blamed on illegal loggers and farmers who use fire to clear fields for planting. Those who farm in peat soil say it is needed to neutralize soil acidity before planting.

The smog had caused low visibility and health hazards for weeks until the first rains fell there on October 2. Records shows that visibility in Palangkaraya averaged only in the hundreds of metres during September.

The burning has wafted haze over the region almost every year since 1997, prompting neighboring Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore to call for action.

In 1997 and 1998, the worst haze in years blanketed huge areas of Southeast Asia for months, causing serious health problems, traffic hazards and a disruption in airline schedules.