South Ossetia has asked Georgia to help repair the damaged water pipes going to the republic via Georgian villages. Tbilisi, which seeks to reinstate control over the republic, said South Ossetia must address its "alternative president," Dmitry Sankoyev, appointed by Georgia.
"Supplying the city with water from artesian wells is only possible in emergencies," said Yury Morozov, the South Ossetian premier, adding that neighboring North Ossetia, a Caucasus republic of Russia, was helping to drill the artesian wells on South Ossetian territory.
South Ossetian authorities have refused to turn to Sankoyev for help, saying it would be tantamount to recognizing his government's legitimacy.
Georgian villagers on South Ossetian territory have been using water from the pipes going to South Ossetia to water their farm lands. The water crisis erupted after a heat wave struck the region two weeks ago, causing water levels to drop dramatically. On Monday, South Ossetia decided to block water supplies to central Georgia.
South Ossetia broke away from Georgia following a bloody conflict in the early 1990s. Georgia's Western-oriented leaders, who came to power in 2003, have been trying to return the republic under their control. Russia has supported South Ossetia in diplomatic tensions with Georgia, and Tbilisi has accused Moscow of fuelling separatist sentiments in the unrecognized republic.
