It's hard to live in Eastern Ukraine
The conduct of hostilities and violations of the Minsk ceasefire agreements has resulted in repeated damage to the water pipe system in eastern Ukraine, putting tens of thousands of civilians living on both sides of the contact line without access to piped water. The current shortages in water in the conflict ‐ affected areas of Donetsk and Luhansk Regions could leave civilians bitterly cold throughout the coming winter as central heating systems break down and have lasting consequences on food production. The thematic report, Access to Water in Conflict ‐ affected Areas of Donetsk and Luhansk Regions, says that the situation has been exacerbated by the fact that the existing water infrastructure was already in need of repairs even before the fighting commenced in spring 2014. Hostilities prevented further repair works from taking place. Moreover the functionality of essential water pumps has decreased due to the shelling of the electrical systems which powered them. Acce