Photo: 7x7 

A lack of drinking water is driving residents of Orsk in the flooded Russian Urals region of Orenburg to collect rain water from puddles, media outlet 7x7 Horizontal Russia reported on Wednesday.

The outlet added that the city had no water supply for 12 days, with local mayor Vasily Kozupitsa saying the supply would resume when the water level declined.

City authorities had previously promised to supply residents with drinking water but many have been left without, leading residents to hang buckets from windows to collect rainwater.

A state of emergency was declared in the whole region located in the Russian Urals on 4 April after torrential rain caused water levels to rise significantly with the Orsk dam bursting the next day.

Local authorities called for residents of the region’s second city to evacuate in response to the catastrophic flooding that ensued. Residents have been critical of the slow emergency response, gathering to protest on 8 April before water levels began to recede the following day.