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A ROW has erupted between Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and the Sabah State Water Department (JANS) over the source of the university’s ongoing water crisis, with each side blaming the other as frustration mounts among students and staff.
UMS Vice-Chancellor Datuk Dr Kasim Mansur has accused the department of downplaying the severity of the situation, disputing JANS’s claim that the university receives sufficient daily water supply from the state’s main R13 tank.
“To say the supply is always enough a lie. It insults our intelligence. If the water was enough, students wouldn’t be protesting. We wouldn’t be fighting to flush toilets” he was reported as saying in Kota Kinabalu.
This comes after the water department issued a public statement insisting that the R13 tank — the university’s primary source — has never run dry, and that the university’s daily requirement of five million litres could be met if its internal pump system was improved or replaced.
The Water Department also claimed UMS had been instructed not to pump when water levels in the tank dropped below 0.5 metres — a restriction coordinated through a joint WhatsApp group — and suggested that the problem lies in UMS’s infrastructure, not supply volumes.
But Kasim disputed these explanations, calling them misleading and evasive.
He said the R13 tank, once exclusively built for UMS in the late 1990s, now also supplies several surrounding areas including 1Borneo, Alamesra, Kingfisher, Hospital Likas, and government buildings — significantly straining what’s left for the university.
According to UMS, water deliveries often fall well below the needed threshold, with the university frequently receiving less than 1.5 million litres per day — a fraction of its required volume.
“This is not just about broken pumps. It’s not just about a level indicator. We are being forced to operate with emergency support systems. It’s not sustainable,” he said.
Among those support systems are nine tube wells drilled across the campus last year using a RM5 million emergency allocation from the federal government.
However, the water is untreated and only suitable for non-potable use such as toilets, laundry, and cleaning.
The tube wells supply is not the primary water supply into the public university.
The escalating dispute prompted Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Ir Shahelmey Yahya to step in.
He directed JANS to send hourly water level updates to help the university manage its pumping schedule more effectively and to replace a faulty level indicator within two weeks.
Shahelmey acknowledged that a temporary pump failure from May 14 to 19 may have contributed to supply disruptions but said records showed sufficient levels from May 19 onward.
The water department has also been instructed to maintain daily logs of tank readings.
But for Kasim, the core issue remains unresolved: increased demand and inadequate allocation.
“We’re not politicians. We’re educators. But this is now about dignity and survival.
“They keep issuing statements while we keep sending letters asking for help — with no response,” he said.
Some student groups have reportedly threatened legal action against the water department, accusing the department of neglecting its responsibilities and leaving them to endure unsanitary conditions on campus.
Suara Mahasiswa UMS group has been called by the police, and received political and legal threats over their plans to organise a fresh rally called, Gempur Rasuah Sabah 2.0 on June 21 - 22.
The two-day rally focusing on corruption also touched on the water issues in Sabah.
The student group has been sued for RM1.5 million for name-calling an NGO group leader Datuk Zulkarnain Mahdar on social media who planned a counter rally against them.
Zulkarnain is the leader of the NGO Gerakan Bangkit Sabahan.
A student activist had also issued an open letter to the Sarawak premier, requesting the leader to intervene into the water issues in UMS.
Still, Shahelmey said the government respects student voices and views their concerns as valid, but emphasised that the state is focused on stabilising supply during the critical exam period.
UMS continues to rely on stopgap measures including rainwater harvesting, but university officials admit these efforts are no substitute for consistent, treated water supply.
“We are tired. All we want is a solution. Not another statement,” said Kasim. – June 3, 2025