Sri Lankan Facebook users have recirculated an old photo of a corroded water pipe in Thailand, alongside the false claim that it was taken on the island. The image was first shared online by Thai users in 2016 who complained about the condition of the kingdom’s water pipes – which Thai authorities say have since been replaced.
“To know the real condition of a water pipe in Sri Lanka, it must be broken. You better know this one. However, it is good to boil water before drinking it,” read the Sinhala-language Facebook caption next to the photo shared on June 19, 2024.
A similar claim shared here falsely suggested that the pipe’s condition came to light after it was hit by a car in a town on the outskirts of Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo on June 17 (archived link).
“This is the water pipe that was broken by the car. Look at the water pipe that people say is clean,” the message said.
Similar false claims were made here and here.
Some users seemed to believe that the image really shows a water pipe in Sri Lanka.
“What is the dirt in this country? When people see this they will say no to water,” one user commented.
“We also have these types of pipes in our region,” said another.
The fake news circulated online in the cash-strapped island nation, which raised water rates in late 2023 following an unprecedented economic crisis after the country ran out of foreign currency to pay for imports.
AFP reported on June 25, 2024 that the South Asian country had reached long-delayed debt deals with its bilateral lenders, including China, to meet a key condition of an IMF bailout, the government said.
Hookah in Thailand
Sri Lanka’s National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) said in a Facebook comment in one of the fake posts that the claim was “fake news” (archived link).
Reverse image searches revealed that the photo was originally published here in 2016 (archived link).
The message was posted by residents of a suburb of the Thai capital Bangkok to draw attention to the poor condition of a local water pipe.
Thailand’s Metropolitan Waterworks Authority (MWA) responded to the complaints on Facebook in 2017 and included the photo in the fake posts (archived link).
Below is a screenshot comparison of the fake message (left) and the MWA message (right):
The MWA post said the pictured pipe had not been used since April 2016, when it was removed from Lat Krabang, an eastern suburb of Bangkok.
It was further said that the yellowish substance in the pipe had accumulated over time due to particles found in the water, and that the water flowing through it was of good quality because the deposit did not mix with water.
AFP previously debunked the same image in 2019 and 2021.
