The BWSSB had warned that owners of properties which have borewells would face action, if the borewells were not registered by March 31. The Water Board had said defaulters would have to pay fine or even undergo prosecution. It was also planning squads to crack down on unregistered borewells.

But a BWSSB official has said that there are no specific rules to mitigate illegal borewells or penalise people who have not registered theirs. The fate of the borewell registration deadline may not be too different from that for installing rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems at homes.