Page 16 - IAV Digital Magazine #629

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
GurugramResidents Store Poop Falling From Aircraft In Fridge Thinking That It's A Rare Mineral
Gurugram, India – October 29, 2025
In a bizarre twist of urban misunderstanding, resi- dents of Gurugram's upscale Sector 56 have been collecting frozen chunks of what they believed to be a "rare extraterrestrial mineral" – only to discover it was air- craft waste, commonly known as "blue ice."
The saga began last month when locals noticed shiny, bluish lumps plummeting from the sky onto rooftops and balconies. "It looked like sapphire from another planet," said Rajesh Malhotra, a tech executive
who stored three fist-sized pieces in his refrigerator alongside yogurt and kim- chi. "I thought it was mete- oric treasure. My wife even polished one for our pooja room."
Word spread quickly in WhatsApp groups. By mid- October, over a dozen households had bagged samples in ziplocks, label- ing them "Cosmic Crystal" and "Sky Diamond." One enterprising resident, Anjali Gupta, attempted to sell a 200-gram specimen on OLX for ₹50,000, describ- ing it as "aerodynamically delivered mineral with cool- ing properties."
The truth crashed down – literally – when aviation authorities investigated after IndiGo Flight 6E-217 reported a lavatory mal- function en route from Delhi to Mumbai. The "min- eral" was frozen sewage leakage, a rare but docu- mented phenomenon when aircraft waste systems fail at altitude.
Dr. Priya Sharma, environ- mental scientist at TERI University, explained: "At 35,000 feet, temperatures drop to -50°C. Leaking lavatory fluid freezes into blue ice, tinted by disinfec- tant chemicals. It thaws
and splatters upon descent."
Municipal officials raided fridges across the sector, confiscating 47 samples weighing 8.2 kilograms total. "We found poop next to paneer," said sanitation inspector Vikram Singh. "One family was using it as a paperweight."
Health authorities issued warnings about bacterial contamination. "This isn't meteorite – it's E. coli on ice," said Dr. Amit Rao of Medanta Hospital. No ill- nesses reported, but sever- al residents underwent pre- cautionary antibiotics.
The Civil Aviation Ministry has launched inspections of aircraft waste systems, while Gurugram's adminis- tration plans awareness campaigns titled "Not All That Falls From Sky is Gold – Or Minerals."
As for the would-be mineral barons? Malhotra sighs, scrubbing his fridge with Dettol. "Next time some- thing falls from the sky, I'll call the municipality first. My wife wants the pooja room exorcised."
In a city where property rates soar higher than air- craft, this incident proves that in Gurugram, even crap can seem precious – until it defrosts.
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