KOTA KINABALU – The water supply issues being faced by Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) are expected to be solved through Phase 2 of the Telibong 2 water treatment plant (WTP) which was commissioned early last month, said Sabah Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Shahelmey Yahya.
Shahelmey, who is also Sabah works minister, said the project’s final piping work is expected to be completed by the end of this month before additional clean water from the plant can be supplied.
He said UMS needs a water supply of 2.98 million litres per day. However, the Sabah Water Department can only supply 2.7 million litres per day and this causes water disruptions in the university.
“All efforts are being made to ensure (pipeline) works will be completed by the end of this month (January), thus solving the urgent issue of water supply (disruptions) currently being faced,” he said in a statement today.
“Another challenge being faced is water theft, as well as vandalism to the pipe network and system in this state that also contribute to the problem,” Shahelmey added.
Regarding the RM3 million allocation to UMS announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim last year to overcome this problem, he added that the allocation was given directly to the university.
Yesterday, Anwar reportedly wanted the relevant parties to submit a thorough report regarding the ongoing water supply woes at UMS, as the government had approved the RM3 million allocation last year to overcome the problem. – January 10, 2024