Authorities in Moscow have dispatched dozens of water trucks to the occupied Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, Kremlin-installed officials said Sunday, as the area grapples with an acute water shortage.

“Seventy-five tanker trucks from Moscow, sent to the DPR on direct orders from President Vladimir Putin, have already arrived,” regional head Denis Pushilin wrote on Telegram, using the acronym for the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic.

He said an additional 60 trucks from other Russian regions were on their way.

While Donetsk residents have dealt with sporadic water shortages for years, the situation has worsened dramatically in recent weeks. By mid-July, local reservoirs had nearly dried up, according to Russian media reports.

Water that does reach homes is often murky and unusable for cooking or bathing. On social media, Donetsk residents have shared photos of brown, sludge-like water flowing from their taps.

In response, local officials in Donetsk and the nearby city of Makiivka began rationing water on July 21, limiting residential supplies to once every three days in a bid to conserve resources for households and local industries.