KOTA KINABALU: Datuk Mustapha Sakmud has announced the commencement of construction on four tube wells to address the water supply issue at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS).
Deputy Higher Education Minister Mustapha Sakmud revealed that two contractors had begun drilling at four identified locations for the tube wells.
Mustapha received updates on the project’s progress and intends to present the information at the Ministry’s upcoming meeting, with Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir reporting to the Federal Cabinet on the matter.
These comments were made after he attended a Chinese New Year event at Inanam on Jan 20.
In addition, Mustapha stated that the Implementation and Coordination Unit under the Prime Minister’s Department had visited the tube well sites and will be monitoring the progress weekly.
The nationwide attention on UMS’ water supply issue was sparked after students’ videos went viral, showing them protesting the problem during Zambry’s visit to the campus on Jan 8.
Zambry’s subsequent announcement of an additional RM2mil to address the water supply problem at UMS was in addition to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s RM3mil allocation for the varsity’s internal water resource supply innovation projects in May last year.
UMS vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Kasim Md Mansur confirmed the RM3mil allocation’s utilization for the construction of six tube wells and a new piping system.
In terms of the project’s timeline, Mustapha stated that the contractors were instructed to complete it by March to provide students with an alternative water source.
However, he emphasized that the tube well project is a short-term solution, with the state government and water department working on the overall water supply issue in Kota Kinabalu.
Mustapha also urged the Education Ministry to address the issue of 12 dilapidated schools in the Sepanggar constituency, stating that they require immediate repairs.
