KOTA KINABALU: Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) has optimised the RM3 million allocation from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to solve water woes at the university.
UMS student representative council 2022/2023 caretaker Jeeva Cassandra Abdul Mumin said they had participated in a meeting chaired by UMS deputy vice-chancellor (Student Affairs and Alumni) Associate Professor Dr Raman Noordin to get an update on the issue.
She said as of Nov 15, UMS administrative and procurement processes have been completed.
"To date, approximately RM18 million has been spent on activities such as drilling exploration and construction of the water treatment system since 2021.
"The project is now moving to the physical work phase involving tasks such as pipeline construction and water treatment system. The project site handover involving two different contractors has been conducted simultaneously.
"For the next project activity, each contractor will be given a period of four months with an allocation of RM1.5 million to ensure the success of the project at their respective sites," she said in a joint statement with honorary treasurer Mohammad Idris Mohd Hairie.
Jeeva also added that a letter about the water supply issue from the Sabah Water department has also been forwarded to the Chief Minister to seek clarification and solutions related to water supply disruption.
The council added that among the actions taken by the university include the installation of water pumps and tanks at the campus areas, building their own gravity water projects with pipes and tanks among others.
There is also a new water balance tank construction project with a capacity of 5 million litres at UMS and an underground water treatment system drilling and construction project.
Yesterday, Higher Education minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abduk Kadir was welcomed by UMS students who could not shower due to the long-standing water woes at the campus.
Zambry announced an additional RM2 million funds to address the issue.
Earlier today, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim asked the relevant agencies to immediately address the water woes in UMS.
He said he had approved a RM3 million allocation for the purpose during his visit there last year.