KOTA KINABALU: A viral open letter by a Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) student to Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg has renewed attention to the university’s ongoing water supply woes.

Muhammad Rasul Rozmiezan, 21, a second-year sociology student from Kuching, Sarawak, said he wrote the letter to voice the concerns of Sarawakian students and push the issue to national attention.

“I understand the Premier’s limitations, but I believe he can help amplify our voices. What he does to help Sarawakians can also benefit Sabahans,” he said in the letter.

Rasul said students have gone without consistent water for days, with some resorting to cleaning themselves in faculty toilets, the mosque, or Chancellor Hall.

“Sometimes I had to bathe with bottled water or pay RM1 to shower at a shopping mall,” he said.

A student collects rainwater in a bucket from a dormitory balcony at UMS — a common practice due to inconsistent piped water supply on campus.

He added that the tube well system was murky and unsafe, and recalled having to search for water at 3am before final exams. “All residential colleges are affected,” he said.

So far, no one from the federal, Sabah or Sarawak governments has contacted him directly.

The letter has drawn mixed reactions online. While many praised Rasul’s courage, others called it embarrassing that Sabah needed Sarawak’s help, calling it a failure of basic infrastructure.

Sabah Works Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya said the government is working with the Water Department (JANS) and UMS to resolve the issue.

Students fill buckets from a communal outdoor pipe system at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) amid ongoing water supply disruptions.

“I was disappointed when I read the letter online. But I’ve visited the site to ensure the issue is being addressed,” he said.

He said water inflow into UMS’s main reservoir, R13, had stabilised over the past two days, but a faulty indicator had caused inaccurate readings, adding that JANS will replace it within three weeks.

“Hourly and daily updates will be given to UMS to help them manage pumping schedules,” he said, adding that both campus pumps are now functioning.

Shahelmey said JANS and UMS had held several meetings and agreed on measures to improve water volume and coordination.

R13 holds 10 million litres, while two other tanks at UMS store 6.75 and 3.5 million litres respectively.

Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said the current supply from JANS remains inconsistent, and the tube well system cannot meet UMS’s daily demand of five million litres.

“I’ve appealed to the Chief Minister to give UMS priority in the water distribution schedule,” he said.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2025...itys-water-woes

sabah & songlap berpisah tiada

why no water, balak potong habis?

Malu lah sikit sabah

sarahan sabah no water but complain to sarawak.

Abang Jo: ada aku kesah

PH again. Last time Selangor PH, despite being one of the richest state, also have no water starting 2014. It is because they want to play politic and refuse to start building Langat 2 water treatment plant in 2009. They would rather let people go without water.

You understand what TS wrote? Where does it say PH or Selangor?

Viral ady baru nak buat kerja.

Selangor's record when I was in UKM back then was months without water. Dang. Luckily I always flew back to Kuching.

as a Sabahan. This is really disgraceful.

PH again and PH again. Do you understand the word "again"?

You probably there after 2014 when PH more interested to play politic instead of taking care of water supply. Anything PH, you likely to see water problem

Teh tarik better than no water....
Low quality 'rakyat' elect low quality politikus

the truth is viral also tak buat kerja

that area all the way till sepanggar until today the water issue cannot resolve
because it's more than just supply, the infrastructure also problematic

so viral, protest also useless....nobody can ultimately fix it

LOL not only UMS, the whola sabah is a shit hole of water crisis.

Land of opportunity for politicians to get rich - sabahku indah

those illegal kampung steal the water away, since 80s already like that

those who steal today also no water to use

the infrastructure is way way too old
if u go to JANS FB page, everyday multiple notice about repairs state wide

after BN samok
ngri confirm masok parit

with the funding also the corruption inside the department is too bad

I read on the borneo post n Sarawak Tribune yesterday. I also dunno what to comment. My kpg no treated water because the kpg kpg got air project kpg. We built a tiny dam on somewhere in the Gading National Park. Placed the pipe down to suply clean water (most of the time) hujan lebat time, org kpg naik to remove leafs clogging the filter. This water is free. N provide water supply to few kampungs. Government n Unimas research team monitors the water quality on scheduled basis.

If sabah really that bad, can consider project air kpg ala Sarawak. Nak kutuk pun tak sanggup cuz they are our neighbors

Exactly. Water and power interruptions are so common in Sabah even in KK City area. 3-4 times power trip are common daily occurrence. Best part is once there were power interruption which affected sudden water supply because no electricity to power the pumps. Go figure. Jabatan Air and SESB are well known names in Sabah for all the wrong reasons.

This post has been edited by sankai80: May 26 2025, 03:34 PM

so powderful premier until rasul pun minta tolong

Disgraceful because university no water or because they had to get help from Sarawak?

Both lah. This is Kelantan tier but worse version

Correct. It was in 2016. Luckily my classes were mostly after 6 pm.

why not both?

Give away sabah la, that state is so corrupted..there's no way to save it

balik swk blaja la. lol. pundek...

later on will blame Semenanjung again lulz

anyway, what happened to this rm200 millions case?

You think he is s there by choice? UPU bagi u apa terima. Cannot say no. My niece also apply Unimas also got Sabah

Dunno lar federal Throw how many billions to sabah woso still get nothing

Still get sarahan tak cukup ____(insert how many billions $$$$$ you want) federal bagi

sabah consider gone case already

lagi nurul izzah ada hati mau menang prn sana hahahah

What I’m wondering is do you blame the guy asking for Sarawak’s help. Or you think he did the right thing.

I don't blame him. We are shit hole state with corrupted govt. Going to election soon baru u see they doing some work. Like recently paving the road. Same situation, our elected assemblyman did nothing for past 4 years until people here need to seek help from another minister from other district for help. Need other YB from Luyang to come help out Penampang people. What a disgrace. Already couple times also. I remember once was with the street lamp which has been out for years until DAP GINGER Poong help out since they are both DAP.. This useless YB better don't come out elect again in coming election. For sure I won't vote for her.

Actually is BN
Road, water, is under this fatso.
U see the comment, the student now holiday break, only he come.
The way his working style is not serious.

https://vt.tiktok.com/ZShwvNT5p/

Nonsense.

2009. Federal BN inform and begging PH Selangor to start building Langat 2 water treatment plant. Inform PH water will run short by 2014. PH refused to approve land (obviously has to be built on Selangor land) to build and only agree to built in 2015. Give fake excuses about sufficient water to last till 2019.

By 2014, Selangor frequently report water shortage.

Semananjung political parties are in Sabah already so got lots of problems. Sarawak hardly got Semananjung parties so less problem.

Federal BN says there will be water shortage starting 2014
Selangor PH insist no water shortage until 2019

Conclusion. PH doesn't care about the suffering of the raykat with no water.

same kase like kelante lor. hopeless. summore wanna talk kok about environment. lol

I'm sure he/she has written a list of choices. mati2 mau letak sabah jg. lol.

Should look at Sabah road, still horrible condition on the way to Mount Kinabalu.

itu budak think only his area kah --- i heard multiple place facing the same la ---

It's not uncommon get a uni not in your list of uni. Luckily I got second choicem first choice also Unimas 1.5hr from my kpg house. But got Selangor instead. But okay lah. No water issue. Never got water issue 3y there 😂😂😂💦💦💦

masalah dari dulu

UMS disputes dept’s claim, says water crisis due to shared tank supply
By The Borneo Post on May 31, 2025, Saturday at 2:16 PM

KOTA KINABALU (May 31): Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) has clarified the ongoing water supply issues affecting its campus, asserting that the root of the problem lies in the inconsistent water levels at the R13 Tank, not the university’s pumping system.

This follows a recent statement by the Sabah State Water Department (JANS), which claimed that 34 million litres of water are channelled daily into the R13 Tank, far exceeding UMS’s requirement of five million litres per day.

However, chairman of the UMS Board of Directors, Datuk Seri Panglima Abdul Rahman Dahlan, clarified that the R13 Tank is not exclusively allocated for UMS.

“The R13 Tank also supplies northern Kota Kinabalu, including Sepanggar, KKIP, residential areas and Hospital Likas. Given the rapid development in these areas, it is clear that the full 34 million litres is shared among many,” he said in a media statement on Saturday.

According to Abdul Rahman, the university’s technical team has consistently monitored the water levels in the tank and found that on many occasions, the levels drop below the minimum required for effective pumping to the campus.

“We have photographic evidence and water level data as official documentation. When the water level is adequate, our pumps work just fine,” he stressed, countering JANS’s suggestion that the university’s ageing pumps may be to blame.

UMS currently operates three water pumps, all of which remain functional. The university insists the challenge lies with inadequate water volume in the R13 Tank during peak hours, making it impossible to distribute water effectively, particularly to student residential colleges.

Abdul Rahman also expressed optimism about a forthcoming solution, the Telibong 2 Phase 2 Water Treatment Plant, which has been under construction since last year which is expected to be fully operational within two months.

“Once this plant begins supplying its projected 80 million litres per day to northern Kota Kinabalu, including UMS, I am confident the long-standing water supply issues, which have caused stress and anxiety for our students, will finally be resolved,” he said.

In the meantime, UMS has implemented several mitigation strategies to ease the impact of the water crisis. These include the construction of a new 3.5 million litre daily balancing tank complete with a new pump system, use of alternative sources such as tubewells and distribution of bottled drinking water and deployment of water tankers in cooperation with JANS.

Despite the challenges, UMS reiterated its appreciation for JANS’s commitment to resolving the issue and called for enhanced collaboration grounded in field data and technical coordination.

“Student welfare remains our top priority. Any issue affecting their access to clean water must be addressed comprehensively, transparently, and urgently by all parties involved,” Abdul Rahman stressed.

The university continues to monitor the situation closely and welcomes constructive dialogue to ensure a sustainable and long-term solution.

Source: https://www.theborneopost.com/2025/05/31/um...ed-tank-supply/