The Delhi Congress on Thursday said that it will give '30 paise cashback' for each litre of water saved by Delhi residents and 20,000 litres of water a month free after coming to power in the February 8 Assembly elections.

Delhi Congress president Subhash Chopra said that those households who save water from the present 20,000-litre free water per family will be benefitted from this scheme.

Chopra said that the cash-back scheme will be introduced as part of the Congress' "Paani Bachao-Dilli Bachao" campaign. He said that the Kejriwal Government introduced free water as a vote bank politics. "The Congress will keep the free water scheme but it will also keep in mind the likelihood of a future 'water war' and that was the main reason for the party taking a decision to reward those who save water," he said. 

"Almost 70 per cent ground water has depleted in Delhi in past six years. He said that the Supreme Court had warned the Delhi Jal Board in 2018, saying that if the water situation remains precarious in Delhi, then there was the possibility of a "water war" in future," he said.

Chopra also alleged that the water mafia was active with the connivance of the Kejriwal Government and was misusing the free water scheme. "There is a steep rise of 40 per cent in the rates of water tankers. The tanker mafia was selling drinking water many times more than the DJB rates with the tacit support of the Kejriwal Government," he alleged.

The DJB has no data regarding how much water is being used by each consumer, he said, adding that if the Congress scheme is implemented, a family could save up to 5,000 litres of water for which they will get cash back of Rs 1,500.