Deputy minister blames UMS water woes on tube well
PETALING JAYA : A federal deputy minister has blamed the prolonged water disruptions at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) on the tube well which he says can only supply one million litres of water daily.
Mustapha Sakmud said the campus needs five million litres per day.
He said he had asked chief minister Hajiji Noor to order the Sabah water department to ensure that water supply to the campus remains uninterrupted.
'The state government is expediting the construction of a pipe from the water treatment plant in Telibong to meet the demands of the increasing number of consumers,' the deputy higher education minister told FMT, adding that the pipe should be a long-term solution to UMS's water woes.
'We were informed that the project (pipe construction) is progressing slowly due to the ongoing construction of the Pan Borneo Highway,' he added.
Yesterday, the Sabah chapter of the National Consumer Foundation Malaysia expressed concern over the water supply disruptions at UMS.
Its chairman David Chan said the prolonged crisis reflected poorly on the state's ability to provide basic utilities to vital institutions, The Borneo Post reported.
Sarawak premier Abang Johari Openg pledged to raise the matter with higher education minister Zambry Abdul Kadir after a Sarawakian student wrote to him about the issue.
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