Tube wells under construction at Universiti M’sia Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: Construction of tube wells to alleviate water woes at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) is still ongoing, said Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Ts Mustapha Sakmud.

Mustapha said he had visited the drilling site on Thursday morning, and three tube wells are confirmed to contain water sources while three others are still in the process.

He said works are also ongoing on water tanks and filtration system. The next phase will involve installing pipes to channel water to the hostels.

“I will give my commitment in resolving this matter, and I will request weekly reports and carry out surprise visits to the project site to ensure the works, which are expected to be completed by this March, are being done according to the contract,” he told reporters after closing the

Minggu Transformasi Siswa (MTS) programme at Polytechnic Kota Kinabalu here on Thursday.

At the same time, Mustapha stressed that the State Water Department (JANS) needs to guarantee it can channel three million litres per day (mld) to the UMS water tanks.

He said this is important as the tube wells project is only a temporary fix to the issue and will not be able to handle the needs of the students and for other activities in UMS.

“However, water theft cases near the area remains an issue, especially squatter colonies near the pipelines.

“The relevant authorities need to periodically carry out operations in these squatter areas.

“We have to be serious in tackling this problem so that water can be supplied by JANS to the affected areas,” he said.