Is water theft at Bangkok's 'soapy massage' parlours making the Thai capital sink?

[webfact]

Is water theft at Bangkok's 'soapy massage' parlours making the Thai capital sink?

Authorities say the illegal use of groundwater to dodge utility bills causes the tourist hotbed, built on a swamp, to fall further into the ground

 

Bangkok massage parlours are being raided amid concerns their famous “soapy massages” involve the illegal siphoning off of the city’s groundwater supply.

 

Police say the illegal use of groundwater to avoid paying city utility bills in effect causes the tourist hotbed, which is built on a swamp, to fall further into the ground.

 

A 2015 government report said Bangkok could be underwater by 2030, in part because of rising sea levels but also because too much water is being sucked from its underground aquifers.

 

Full story: http://nationalpost.com/news/world/are-bangkoks-soapy-massage-parlours-making-the-thai-capital-sink

 

-- NATIONAL POST 2018-01-26

[RichardColeman]

More to do with the drainage system being full of brown envelopes I think

[Estrada]

No, they are not making Bangkok sink. Fortunately, since we stopped the pumping of underground water in Bangkok in the late '90s, the aquifers are now refilling. However we cannot afford a return to allowing any company or individual to pump water from the Aquifers.

 

[janclaes47]

April 1st comes early this year.

[MaxLee]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Is water theft at Bangkok's 'soapy massage' parlours making the Thai capital sink?

No worries, the unseasonal rain plus the rainy season will be taking care of the sinking...... 

[farcanell]

5 hours ago, Estrada said:

No, they are not making Bangkok sink. Fortunately, since we stopped the pumping of underground water in Bangkok in the late '90s, the aquifers are now refilling. However we cannot afford a return to allowing any company or individual to pump water from the Aquifers.

 

Subsidence is irreversible... so the damage was done before the late 90’s

 

None the less, the problems herein has nothing to do with subsidence caused by soapy massage parlors.... but rather, the non payment of utility bills by using your own well, and getting free water.

 

 

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Authorities say the illegal use of groundwater to dodge utility bills causes the tourist hotbed, built on a swamp, to fall further into the ground

The only way this can make any sense is if massage parlors are the only businesses using wells, and are then selling billions of liters of the water to others... which as a thought, is total stupidity.

 

anyone gullible enough to believe that the amount of water used by soapy massage parlors can make a difference, is.... to put it nicely... a f******  moron.

 

however.... if one considers the ever increasing weight of the expanding city, resulting in an ever increasing downward pressure on the ground formation, One may see more tangible reasons that would cause sinkage (or compression)

Edited January 26, 2018 by farcanell

[Sir Dude]

This is just an attempt to deflect public/media attention away from all the bent police and officials taking free services handouts for looking the other way on things and being complicit in serious crime....all gone quiet on that front. 

[IAMHERE]

Absolutely, and I doubt this is the only one sucking up the water.

[lamyai3]

One day a huge sinkhole will open up and we'll all plummet down into the second circle of hell.