Bangkok’s mega-brothels are causing the city to sink.
Sky News reports that mega-brothels in Bangkok have been illegally using groundwater for “soapy massages”, causing the city to sink.
Detectives suspect water was stolen by over 40 soapy massage parlours, which operate as brothels. The investigation and crackdown was triggered after underage sex workers were found in a human trafficking raid.
Said brothels steal groundwater to avoid paying utility bills. Consequently, environmental experts claim that the practice is causing Bangkok to sink.
Suwat Inthasit, deputy commander of Natural Resources and Environment Crime Suppression Division, said: “Today we will examine the water quality of each room we will go inside.”
Bangkok is an already sinking city. In the 1970s, the Thai capital was sinking at about 10cm a year.
Experts predict Bangkok to be underwater by 2030 due to rising sea levels and groundwater draining. There have been efforts to regulate groundwater usage in recent years to slow Bangkok’s sinking rate but the mega brothels are not addressing them.
Whilst prostitution is illegal in Thailand, it is openly practiced due to bribes and loopholes, Sky News reports.
