Donetsk, Oct 18 — DAN. Russian specialists have begun the construction of a new water pipe to improve the water supply to the Shirokoye and Voikovo settlements north of Ilovasik, Khartsyzsk mayor Viktoria Zhukova who administers these two settlements said on Tuesday.

“Specialists from Nizhny Novgorod are building a 3.5-kilometer long water line in the Shirokoye and Voikovo settlements, ” Zhukova wrote on Telegram. “The work is underway.”

“The old water supply pipe had multiple ruptures, ” the Town Hall press service told the Donetsk News Agency. Water supply to these settlements practically stopped as the area implemented scheduled water supply distribution.

The Donetsk People’s Republic has been experiencing shortages of drinking water due to fighting since February. The situation remains very tense. Trucks deliver water to large towns according to schedule. Drinking or service water is periodically supplied to residents for free.*jk