--- title: "Explosive Russian Sewage Leak Spurts as High as High-Rise Buildings" description: "Things in Russia seem pretty crappy after a massive fountain of brown liquid was recorded spewing out of a sewage main in Moscow. " date: "2024-10-29" modified: "2024-10-29" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/russian-sewage-leak-explosion" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "explosions" - "Russia" - "sewage system" - "the digest" --- # Explosive Russian Sewage Leak Spurts as High as High-Rise Buildings ![Things in Russia seem pretty crappy after a massive fountain of brown liquid was recorded spewing out of a sewage main in Moscow. ]() *\Image: Anton Gerashchenko via X\* ## The Fountainhead Things in Russia seem pretty crappy after a massive — and we mean massive, as it dwarfed surrounding high-rise buildings — fountain of brown liquid was recorded spewing out of a ruptured sewage main in Moscow. In a tweet, former Ukrainian government advisor [Anton Geraschenko shared videos]() from the explosive incident. "Moscow Telegram channels report that the sewage system in Moscow broke down," he tweeted. "A 'fountain' the height of a residential building is seen in one of Moscow's districts." https://www.twitter.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1850845859946131966 In one comment, a digital onlooker pointed out that they had experienced something similar at their home earlier this month and that the brown water might not be that color because of feces. "Is this the thermal heating system being purged\[?\]" the X user responded. "In our apartment in Craiova the heating is pressurized in October and the water that come\[s\] out is rusty colored like this." In a [statement to the UK's *Mirro**r* tabloid](), Russian state-owned utility Gazprom suggested that the sewers in the Novaya Moskova district were being cleared out in that manner — and that the situation is "under control." All the same, there's nothing clean-looking about this sewer explosion. "A sh\*t show," Geraschenko quipped, "literally." ## Poo the Day Unfortunately, this kind of sewer situation seems to happen somewhat regularly. Last month, a set of newly installed sewer pipes in Nanning, China were recorded exploding — and in that case, cars and passers-by were unable to avoid the nasty detritus. https://www.twitter.com/dom_lucre/status/1839698183967916259 Dubbed a "[poo-cano]()" by *The Sun*, another British tabloid, there seems to be far less ambiguity about the contents of the Chinese plume than the one in Russia. "I’m drenched in poo, my car is splattered yellow," one unfortunate driver reportedly complained, per *The Sun*. "It’s ruined." While nobody seems to have died or been injured in either of incident, history has shown that poo-splosions can be damaging — and even deadly. In 1992, a series of sewer explosions in Guadalajara, Mexico resulted in more than 200 deaths and 1,000 damaged buildings. It was [ultimately revealed]() that the cause had been a gas leak that could have been prevented — and a [group of angry survivors organized]() to make sure such a thing never happened again. More recently, a wastewater explosion in a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri [forced people out of their homes](). Luckily, those residents were [compensated pretty quickly]() by their town's government. **More on sewage:** [*Google's AI Turns the Words "Fart" and "Poop" Written 1,000 Times Into an Entire Podcast*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()