KOTA KINABALU: Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) has been urged to engage with its Student Representative Council to address the latter’s concerns and provide accurate information regarding the water woes.
Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said through such methods, and with the involvement of government officials and transparent communication with students, such critical steps could mitigate the impact and ensure that their needs are met.
He said this after inspecting the water woes in UMS on Sunday (June 9), adding that the issue is being addressed by increasing supplies from the water department and implementing tube wells within the university complex, here.
He added that since January this year, UMS has received an average of three million litres of water daily from the Sabah Water Department.
Mustapha said the water supply has been steadily increasing to meet the demand from 2.9
minimal liquid discharge (MLD) in March, to three MLD in April, and reaching three MLD last month.
“Nine tube wells have been built to supply water to students’ residential colleges, funded by the Prime Minister and the Higher Education Ministry, which could provide up to a million litres of water daily to mitigate the impact of water disruptions at UMS.
“These tube wells are fully operational to ensure a more reliable water supply for the students,” he said, refuting the allegations that UMS has no water supply at all.
However, despite these improvements, UMS water demand remains high, ranging between three to five MLD, necessary to support its population of around 20,000 individuals, including 16,000 students.
Also present were the Higher Education director-general Prof Dr Azlinda Azman; UMS deputy vice-chancellor (student affairs and alumni) Associate Prof Dr Raman Noordin, and officers from the ministry and UMS.
Of late, there have been allegations on social media that the water department had not sent supplies to UMS, leaving students to suffer for days without water.
This has led to the proposed peaceful rally dubbed #KamiMahuAir (#WeWantWater) which will be held in front of the Chief Minister’s office at Menara Kinabalu next Friday (June 14).
