Kota Kinabalu: The State Water Department will now provide an hourly update on water levels at the Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s R13 tank, said Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Shahelmey Yahya.
He said the move aims to help UMS manage its pumping schedule more effectively and ensure better water distribution on campus.
“A new water level indicator has been ordered and should be installed within one or two weeks. I will revisit UMS once that is completed to ensure smooth coordination between both parties,” he told reporters after distributing fresh beef from 30 cows to the needy in Putatan, in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidiladha, Tuesday.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});He was responding to UMS Vice-Chancellor Datuk Dr Kasim Mansur’s strong criticism of the Water Department’s May 29 statement, which claimed the university had always received sufficient water and that internal technical issues were to blame for any disruptions.
Shahelmey said the department’s records showed consistent supply since May 19.
However, he explained that from May 14 to 19, one of UMS’ pumps was down, possibly affecting water delivery to the campus.
“That issue has since been resolved. This coordination is especially crucial as students are sitting for their exams in June,” the State Works Minister added.
Shahelmey explained that discrepancies in reports arose when student leaders accused the department of making false claims.
Site inspections two weeks ago revealed that while the department recorded sufficient water levels in the R13 tank, UMS reported otherwise, due to a faulty tank indicator that led to miscommunication.
