KOTA KINABALU (Jan 11): The State Water Department (JANS) is carrying out a short-term plan to alleviate water woes in Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), said State Works Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya.
He said the solution is to ensure the water supply to the university is at an acceptable level, and the department is also sending water lorries to the university’s water tanks.
Shahelmey said the department is also working together with the university’s technical management team so that the latter can control the water pressure at the campus due to the campus’ size and terrain factors.
The Deputy Chief Minister III stressed cooperation is required from both sides in this effort – JANS to ensure the water supply reaches the university, and UMS to play their part in controlling the water pressure at the campus.
“If not for delays in the Telibong 2 Phase 2 water treatment plant completion, this issue would have already been solved.
“We hope that once piping works at the plant can be completed by the end of this month, more water can be supplied to UMS.
“However, in the journey of the water supply from the plant to UMS, there might be some problems in terms of illegal tapping of water connections, broken pipes, etc,” he told reporters after launching the MyJANS mobile application at Hilton Hotel here on Thursday.
Shahelmey previously said that UMS needs a water supply of 2.98 million litres per day (mld) but JANS can only supply 2.7 mld, causing water disruptions at the university.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir had recently announced a RM2 million allocation to UMS to solve the water issue at the campus, following a visit there on January 8.
This came after he was greeted by student protesters during his visit, who had flashed placards to highlight their plight of having to study without consistent water supply.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim last year had allocated RM3 million to UMS for the same purpose, and he had requested a report regarding the fund’s utilisation.