Sergei, a water truck driver, checks water flow while filling up the tank at a well outside of Bergin settlement. He takes turns with his colleague to deliver water to the residents, who then store it in large dug up reservoirs at their yards. In summer, when temperature reaches 35-40 C, water's in high demand and people queue to get the delivery. Bergin is situated close to a border of Kalmykia with Astrakhan oblast. These two regions are home to a large man-made desert — in the 1980s, because of an excessive usage of land for livestock grazing, the land quickly deteriorated. In 2019, eco-activists came to Bergin to plant "dzhuzghun" — a type of shrub, which helps to stop the sand from spreading. Later, after the activist's leaders took a part in anti-government protests, they were accused of embezzling the funds for planting and sentenced to jail time. As of fall 2022, their undertaking proved successful and they are to continue the initiative despite interference from the state.