Fighting in east Ukraine has interfered with water treatment, producing a foul stench from the taps that aid workers say could bring health risks.

"The water has gone bad," said Raisa Prilipko, head of a Donetsk orphanage that gives shelter to 21 preschool children. "We remove sediment and boil water, we filter it to minimize any risks to the children's' health."

The water supply system in the Donetsk region of east Ukraine has suffered repeated damage during almost a year of fighting between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatist rebels that has killed more than 6,000 people.