KOTA KINABALU: Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) has hit back at the Sabah Water Department's claim that supply to the campus has always been sufficient.
The department's remark has reignited frustration over a long-standing matter that has plagued the university for years.
UMS vice-chancellor Datuk Dr Kasim Mansur said the statement was not only misleading but also an insult to the university community.
“To say the supply has always been enough is a lie. It’s insulting our intelligence. We are not stupid,” he said when contacted on Monday (June 2).
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“If there was enough water, the students wouldn’t be shouting, they wouldn’t be protesting.”
The department’s statement, issued on Thursday (May 29), claimed that the R13 tank in UMS “has never been empty” and that any shortcomings were because of internal pumping issues.
But Kasim said the real issue lies in the location of UMS and the way the water supply is distributed.
The R13 tank, set up when the university was established in 1995 and made fully operational by 2000, also serves other areas including Hospital Likas, 1Borneo Hypermall, Alamesra, Kingfisher, and government buildings.
He said UMS, which sits on higher ground, often ends up with little to no water once gravity sends it to lower-lying areas.
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Despite having the R13 tank within its grounds, UMS is not given priority when water levels drop. Kasim said the university can only start pumping when water in the tank reaches at least 0.5m, a level that is rarely achieved.
“Most days it doesn’t even reach that because the water flows to other areas first. Just because the tank is here doesn’t mean it helps us,” he said.
Kasim said UMS began facing water problems as early as 2020, following rapid development in its surrounding areas.
With a daily demand of 3.5 to five million litres of water, UMS caters to around 11,000 students living on campus and more than 23,000 people during the day, including staff and off-campus students.
To cope, UMS lowered its pump intake in 2023 to adapt to the low water levels.
However, the department later imposed a restriction, warning UMS not to pump if the level dropped below 0.5m, citing risks to external users, including hospitals.
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Kasim said numerous letters had been sent to the department over the years urging for intervention, but he never received a formal reply.
“We are producing human resources, not water. Our job is to teach students, not to provide water,” he said.
He also rejected suggestions that the problem stemmed from faulty equipment.
“They said our pumps are not good. We have three pumps – all are good. Only recently, one broke down, and it was repaired within three days,” he said.
“This issue has been going on since 2020. Don’t use the pump as an excuse.”
Kasim added that UMS had, at times, managed to pump over five million litres of water per day, proof that the system works when water levels are stable.
“We are not politicians. We are academics. But they play politics with the university.
“Some just say ‘yes boss, yes boss’ instead of telling the truth. When it has come to this stage, it’s too much. I really cannot tolerate it.”
Nevertheless, Kasim said the university’s appeal for a sustainable solution was made in good faith and in line with the aspirations of the current state government’s initiatives to secure additional water sources for Sabah.
While UMS has turned to tube wells and rainwater harvesting for non-potable use, Kasim said these alternatives only provide about 400,000 to 500,000 litres per day, far short of its needs.
Earlier, student movement Suara Mahasiswa UMS urged the university to sue the Sabah Water Department for RM100mil in damages, claiming years of supply disruption had burdened students with higher living and education costs.
Its president Fadhil Kasim also called for investigations into possible mismanagement or supply diversion, and said the matter will be highlighted during a peaceful rally on June 21 and 22.
