Latest news with #WaterDepartment
Borneo Post
12 hours ago
- General
- Borneo Post
UMS water supply sufficient, says Shahelmey
Shahelmey PUTATAN (June 3): The amount of water entering the tank at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) is sufficient, said Works Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya. Shahelmey said that he had asked the Water Department to keep records of the amount of water entering Tank R13 throughout the month of May. 'So, from 19th May until yesterday, the amount of water entering Tank R13 was at a sufficient level — even more than sufficient,' he told reporters on Tuesday. However, from 14th to 19th May, one of UMS's water pumps was faulty and had to be repaired. 'So, during that period, only one pump was operating, which might have caused the amount of water pumped from R13 into the UMS campus to decrease.' The minister added that, together with the Water Department, he had observed and monitored the inflow of water from the department into Tank R13 at UMS. 'And according to our records, the amount of water is sufficient,' he said. 'However, I made a visit to UMS two weeks ago to see the real situation because the Water Department informed that there was water, while UMS informed that there was insufficient water.' He added that, hence, one matter that was agreed upon in the joint meeting between the department and UMS following his site visit on that day was that both parties agreed the amount of water entering the tank was sufficient. 'Only at present, the indicator in Tank R13, owned by the Water Department, is not functioning,' said Shahelmey. The faulty indicator has confused UMS in arranging their pump operation schedule, he added. As a result of the meeting, discussions and also the visit, the Water Department agreed to ensure that they provide a report on the water level at Tank R13 every hour to UMS so that the latter can arrange their pumping operations on campus, he said. 'And for the damaged indicator, the Water Department informed that they have already ordered a new one, and we hope that in one or two weeks, the indicator will arrive and be installed. Once it is installed, I will visit again to ensure that there is no more miscommunication or lack of coordination between both parties,' said Shahelmey. He asked for cooperation between the Water Department and UMS to ensure university students can focus on their studies and examinations this June without worrying about water supply disruptions. 'I want them to ensure the smooth supply of water to the UMS campus, especially in June, when foundation students will be sitting for their examinations together with undergraduate students, so they can focus on their studies without being disrupted by existing water supply issues,' he said. Prior to this, UMS Vice-Chancellor Datuk Dr Kasim Mansor issued a statement against the Water Department's claim of sufficient water supply to the campus. Dr Kasim described the department's statement as misleading and an insult to the university community, stating that if there was enough water, students would not be shouting and protesting. He also claimed that the real issue lies in the location of UMS and the way the water supply is distributed. The R13 tank has been fully operational since 2000 and serves other areas including Hospital Likas, 1Borneo Hypermall, Alamesra, Kingfisher and government buildings. He also alleged that UMS, which sits on higher ground, often ends up with little to no water once gravity sends it to lower-lying areas.
Daily Express
16 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Express
How scandal robbed Sabahans of water
Published on: Monday, June 02, 2025 Published on: Mon, Jun 02, 2025 By: David Thien Text Size: Chin said the second reason why it is really bad is because those contracts were given to people who were aligned to the people who got the kickbacks. Kota Kinabalu: The Water Department scandal which involves officials entrusted with ensuring supply, pocketing millions through a scheme is a good case study on corruption in Sabah. The seizure by MACC of half the RM114.5 million found stashed in luxury autos, offices and homes of the civil servants involved, is the second biggest in the history of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. MACC head Azam Baki said the seizure was made following the arrests of a director and a deputy director of the department which led to the seizure including assets of mistresses acquired from the ill-gotten money which Sabahans endured water shortages. 'The Sabah Water Department corruption case happened around 2016. MACC seized over RM114.5 million in cash, including luxury cars, jewellery and properties from the suspects,' said Datuk Roger Chin, past President of the Sabah Law Society. He was speaking at NGO Sabar-Kopi Tiam Council podcast on 'Why is Sabah Struggling? Unpacking GLCs, Corruption & Lost Billions' recently. 'The 1MDB case also had such astronomical amount of money seized. What is scary is how normalised corruption has become. We all should be outraged. 'In the case of the Sabah Water Department, the RM114.5 plus luxury cars, jewellery and properties, were kickbacks for awarding contracts and projects. 'Why was what happened bad? Because it is embezzlement of public funds. How did that happen? Very simply put, all these contractors are business people. They are not going to be paying their kickbacks from the profits that they made. 'What they have done is to add that portion (kickbacks) into the contract. This inflates the contract. 'Say the actual cost plus normal profit is RM150. All of a sudden you have to add on the kickback. Let's just randomly say it is RM30. 'So, instead of putting in a bid for RM150 ringgit which is cost plus the right amount of profit, you make it RM180. What then happens is the government spends extra RM30 of taxpayer's money for this enlarged project. Which should not be the case. 'What that means is RM30 that is meant for other things for the people has now disappeared. Chin said the second reason why it is really bad is because those contracts were given to people who were aligned to the people who got the kickbacks. 'So whether it is the most qualified people doing the contracts is highly debatable and probably not. Hence, if the people who got the contracts were not the best for the job means there would be a lot of contracts that were substandard or not carried out properly. 'So now you know why our water system is so bad. 'Multiply that RM30 kickback by a few thousand and you get hundreds of millions. And you also talk about the people who got the jobs who simply do substandard work. 'Accessibility to clean water is one of the main problems in Sabah. 'What happened was that money meant for clean water has been taken out of the system. Which is why we have lack of clean water. 'Not only clean water, think about the hundreds of millions of ringgit which should have gone into infrastructure development whether it is water or electricity. 'RM114 million was taken out of the system and this is just the Water Department. How about the other corruption issues. There are easily several more. Perhaps about half a billion ringgit or maybe more taken out of the system. 'If we had just kept that money in the system and built the infrastructure that we needed, we would have far better infrastructure today,' he said, adding this is why corruption is a huge problem. 'Because money has been taken out of the system you and I suffer from insufficient water and electricity.' * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Star
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
UMS student group urges legal action over water issues
KOTA KINABALU: The water issue at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) persists, with a student movement group urging the university to sue the state Water Department for losses incurred during years of disruption. Suara Mahasiswa UMS president Fadhil Kasim said a recent statement by the Sabah Water Department claiming sufficient water supply to the university was false. "The department's statement on May 29 claiming that the supply in the R13 tank at UMS was always enough is irresponsible and a lie," he said. He said constant water disruptions forced students and the UMS community to incur extra living costs, including renting, utilities, and education fees. "We urge UMS to take legal action against the Sabah Water Department and sue them for at least RM100mil to cover these costs," said Fadhil. To support this demand, he claimed a fact check by the student representative council and UMS maintenance and development department found days when water levels in the main UMS tank and the water department tank were at zero metres. "This means the water supply from the Water Department did not reach UMS," he alleged. Fadhil urged authorities, including the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), to investigate potential corruption and abuse in handling this water crisis and the delayed Pan Borneo Project. "The Pan Borneo project, which passes by UMS, is also seen as a factor in the UMS water crisis," he said. He added that suspicions of a mega industrial company in Sepanggar using much of the supply meant for UMS should also be investigated. He said the call for the Sabah Water Department to be sued will be among their main agendas at their scheduled peaceful rally on June 21 and June 22. The water crisis in UMS started worsening about two years ago.
Daily Express
7 days ago
- General
- Daily Express
Telipok water woes due to pipe bursts
Published on: Wednesday, May 28, 2025 Published on: Wed, May 28, 2025 By: Sidney Skinner Text Size: A technician welds a 'bend joint' along the leaking MSCL distribution main in Taman Puterajaya. A series of pipe bursts is to blame for the water woes which Telipok consumers, off Mile 13 Jalan Tuaran, have been experiencing for some time. The fluctuating levels at the reservoir overlooking Donggongon, on the other hand, has given rise to the erratic supply which their counterparts, living off Jalan Minintod-Bantayan in Penampang, have been receiving for over a month In view of this, the Water Department will be monitoring the supply to Taman Puterajaya and Country Heights Apartments, to try and minimise any unnecessary disruptions from occurring at both properties over the coming Harvest Festival- Agung's Birthday public holidays. A spokesman for the agency said one of its contractors was in the midst of repairing a section of a Mid-Steel-Cement-Lined (MSCL) pipe in Taman Puterajaya which sprung a leak on Tuesday. 'The emergency work on the distribution main, with a diameter of 200 millimetres, got underway from 9.30am yesterday,' he said. 'Consumers in the vicinity were notified a half an hour earlier to use what reserves they had in their storage tanks sparingly.' Advertisement This was the third such notice which the Department had issued to the public about a burst in this part of Telipok since the beginning of month. The earlier notices were issued on May 3 and May 25, according to the spokesman. 'Different parts of the same MSCL pipe which spans some 800 metres on Lorong Puterajaya 2 have become damaged in each instance. 'This has happened due to wear and tear as the main was first installed beneath the verge here years ago. 'Contrary to what some quarters may think, it is not a case of shoddy workmanship on the part of our technicians as the leaks did not happen in the same section of the supply-line.' Aside from those in the neighbourhood, the spokesman said, the repairs also affected consumers at the Apartments and Shophouses in Puterajaya area. 'Our tankers have been going around the affected properties from time to time to deliver treated water to these individuals.' Where Country Heights was concerned, the spokesman said the supply to the property had been affected by falling levels the agency's R6B reservoir. 'The diminishing volume at the Donggongon reservoir was only a temporary setback which happened for a few days last week and over the weekend,' he said. 'We managed to raise the levels somewhat this week to improve the supply to the Apartments.' A spokesman for the company, which manages Country Heights, said the property had periodically lost its main incoming supply between 10pm and 6am since April. 'Even when the supply did not disappear, the pressure was very low,' he said. 'It was only about five to 10 per cent of what it should be.' 'Owing to this, there was not enough water in our ground tanks for us to give our tenants a supply the following morning.' He said the firm generally released water for a few hours twice a day – once in the morning and then at night. 'The management has had to control the flow of water from our elevated and ground tanks to the 6,000 occupants on the property. If the supply is not controlled, then those living on the upper floors would have no chance of getting any water at all.' The spokesman said this task had become exceedingly difficult since April 17, when there had intermittently been 'zero' input to the Apartments' tanks at night. He said multiple calls had been made to the Department's Careline since then about the water woes at Country Heights. 'On May 13, we wrote to the agency about this problem. We are still waiting to receive an official response to our correspondence.' The Department spokesman said one of its technicians went to Country Heights, shortly after being contacted by the media last week. 'He found that water was reaching the bulk-meter but the pressure of the supply was low,' he said. 'A security guard for the Apartments even climbed up to a balancing tank for the property and noted that that the supply was barely entering the receptacle.' The spokesman said the agency's staff had been keeping an eye on the property since then. 'If things take a turn for the worse, we will consider sending a tanker to replenish the contents of the ground tank for the property.' * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Star
25-05-2025
- Health
- The Star
Water lifeline in the works for Tangkarason, says Sabah minister
An aerial view of Kampung Tangkarason in Paitan, showing the newly rebuilt health clinic and surrounding rural landscape. SANDAKAN: The Sabah government is working to connect drought-stricken Tangkarason to a proper water supply system after weeks of public concern over the village's reliance on crocodile-infested rivers and muddy ponds. State Community Development and People's Wellbeing Minister Datuk James Ratib said the remote village in Beluran has been given priority under the Rural Water Supply Programme. 'A plan is in place to connect Tangkarason to a main pipe from the Paitan trunk line. Discussions are ongoing with the Water Department, and the district office has been instructed to arrange for temporary supply to the village health clinic,' he said. Tangkarason is in the Paitan sub-district, a remote and sparsely populated area known for its rugged terrain and scattered settlements. It was previously reported that Tangkarason's 3,000 residents have long struggled without piped water, relying on unsafe rivers and ponds — some inhabited by crocodiles — for their daily needs. During the current dry spell, even these sources have become dangerously scarce, forcing villagers to ration water and risk their safety daily. James, who is also the Sugut assemblyman, said the water issue is especially urgent for the village's health clinic, which recently resumed operations in a permanent building after months of operating temporarily from a community hall. 'The clinic is running now, but it still needs basic utilities like piped water. That's our next step,' he said, adding that the power supply is currently through generators, with longer-term plans involving Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd. Datuk James Ratib at the Paitan district-level Kaamatan Festival 2025. He was speaking when met at the launching of the Paitan district-level Kaamatan Festival over the weekend. Paitan district officer Joe Joloning Majambu, who was also present, said efforts to address the water issue were raised at the district-level disaster management committee and have since been escalated to relevant state agencies. He added that the proposed water supply extension to Tangkarason had been approved in principle under the 12th Malaysia Plan, with funding pending from the Federal Government. 'If approved, the water supply will benefit not only Tangkarason but also four to five neighbouring villages, including two schools,' he said. Joe said electricity remains a challenge in the area, but the federal Rural and Regional Development Ministry had approved the rollout of solar hybrid systems in several nearby villages. As for road access, he confirmed that the current route used by villagers is through a palm oil estate after the original access was taken over. 'The road to Tangkarason has been shortlisted for upgrading by the Public Works Department. We know clean water alone is not enough if we can't reach these places,' he said. Winnie Mogak, a small trader in the village, said she has to buy about 20 cartons of bottled water every month just to meet her family's daily needs. 'The ponds have dried up. Even the rivers turn salty during the drought, so we can't use them. 'The only way we get water now is from rainwater catchments or wells. That's all we have,' she said. She urged the government to expedite the piped water project, saying clean water should no longer be a luxury for the people of Tangkarason. 'We're tired of waiting. Clean water is not a privilege — it's our right,' she said.
