Communities in Moseley, Savannah Park, Northdene and other areas without water for over a month, water deliveries via tanker sporadic at best, and the eThekwini Municipality running out of money to pay for diesel for water tankers and for plumbing contractors.

This is the sore state of water provision and maintenance in the city. Coupled with a lack of transparency and communication with affected residents, it is no wonder residents are up in arms - figuratively.

The water issue has been in sharp focus in recent weeks and months because it is now areas like Queensburgh being affected, where residents are vociferous in their complaints. But there are other areas of the municipal district which have been similarly affected - and for longer periods - without there being much hue and cry.

Neither situation is acceptable.

Access to water is a basic human right and, recognising the severity of the situation, the Human Rights Commission has become involved, participating in "war room" meetings with the municipality to address the matter. Not that it has helped - residents are still struggling to bathe and flush toilets. A terrible situation at the best of times, but intolerable in the current hot and humid conditions.

Aside from not keeping up with the increasing demand for water in a growing city, the shambolic state of infrastructure maintenance - the city said this week it had 4 000 leaks on the books - and billing, with residents suddenly and inexplicably being hit with astronomically high accounts, there are also diesel theft and suspicions of sabotage to facilitate private water tanker contracts, which cost the city some R50 million a month.

The last is borne out by the murders of no less than eight Water and Sanitation department workers since 2022, including two on municipal premises.

It is no exaggeration to label the mess a disaster. And perhaps a declaration of a state of disaster is required.

It would make available national funding and expertise - which eThekwini has demonstrated it is short of - to get the taps flowing again.