India, June 2 -- A massive sanitation crisis looms over Gurugram after a city-wide survey by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) revealed that around 367,000 out of 552,000 households have illegally connected their sewer lines to municipal pipelines, prompting Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini to order urgent regularisation and infrastructure upgrades.

The findings, shared during a high-level review meeting chaired by the chief minister in Chandigarh on May 28, point to the unauthorised discharge of wastewater for years-sometimes decades-without approvals or payment of civic fees, overwhelming the city's sewer system and draining municipal revenue.

Only around 184,000 households have legal sewer connections, while the rem...