Abang Johari Openg will bring up the water woes at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) to the Higher Education Ministry in response to an open letter from a student.

In a statement on Tuesday (May 27), the Sarawak Premier's Office said Abang Johari thanked the Sarawakian student at UMS for the letter but could not take direct action as the matter lay outside his jurisdiction.

Nevertheless, the Premier will raise the issue for the information and action of Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir," the statement said.

The Star reported on Monday (May 26) that an open letter by a Sarawakian student to Abang Johari on the university's water woes had gone viral.

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

"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, adding that students had gone without consistent water supply for days,

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

ALSO READ: UMS water supply issue to be resolved

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

Meanwhile, Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said the current supply from JANS remained inconsistent, while the tube well system could not 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...er-edu-ministry

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

tipu bulat2 in front of abang jo's face
this issue has been for years.....article say days but in reality they can go weeks without water

if dorm got water issue, why didnt pindah elsewhere?

why kacau abang jo in first place, ums use sarawak water company service aaa?

even say u got the money to move

move where?
it's not UMS that has water problem, it's the whole district

last time myself in uni, distance between my house and the college is around 20km. okay ja.

20KM in sabah is not the same as 20KM in WM
20KM in sabah in morning traffic today will take u almost 2 hours...say to UMS

oh and don't forget, other district also suffers from water outage issue too

This post has been edited by MR_alien: May 27 2025, 06:37 PM

sure sure i believe you.

Janji songlap dulu?

Without highways, 20km is a long ass distance

tak faham, Sarawak water is not under state? why need to go to fed?

Penang no water 3 days, penang lang hari hari kecam LGE CKY and PBA for months.

edit: kelate got free teh tarik, we also puji state govt. mana ada fed can take the credit?

This post has been edited by loserguy: May 27 2025, 06:45 PM

now u understand why i quit my job

it's fine if you don't believe me, maybe can ask another sabahan or u can always come here and try for yourself
it's basically like going to work in SG but you're being paid minimum wage in MYR

imagine you have to wake up 4.30AM, start driving at 5.30AM ish to go to work an a job that starts 8AM
thn the drive back is another 1.5 hours

This post has been edited by MR_alien: May 27 2025, 06:50 PM

Bang m. Dia Kata federal higher education ministry. Tu federal. Universities under higher education ministry

i tot mr pak you said BN brought development to sabah since 1994?

Why so epic fail? Everything fail

Macam your own house lor, anything past the meter is your responsibility. If before the meter it should be the water authority.

In this case, whole uni tak cukup air ke only that one block tak cukup air? If one particular block tak cukup air, either paip bocor or piping problems, that should be the uni punya problem. But if whole place tak cukup ...

This post has been edited by loserguy: May 27 2025, 06:54 PM

DeepSeek

What did BN do all these while?

Why didnt raise sarahan federal/semananjung pipur kad??

they even street protest before.....they know nothing works

The federal government has acknowledged Sabah’s ongoing water supply challenges and has taken several steps to address them. However, despite these efforts, issues persist, and there is growing concern among residents and officials about the effectiveness of current measures. 

Federal Government Initiatives

In recent years, the federal government has allocated significant funds to improve Sabah’s water infrastructure:
• In 2024, a soft loan of RM320 million was provided to tackle the state’s water crisis, targeting 20 projects expected to be completed within six to twelve months. 
• An additional RM140.86 million was allocated under the Rural Water Supply (BALB) programme to upgrade water supply systems in rural areas of Sabah. 
• Under the Malaysia MADANI Budget 2024, the Unity Government allocated RM1.1 billion nationwide to resolve water supply issues, with Sabah being one of the beneficiaries. 

Ongoing Challenges and Criticisms

Despite these allocations, Sabah continues to face significant water supply issues:
• Sabah owes RM6 billion in federal loans, much of which was intended for infrastructure projects, including water and sewerage systems. 
• Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi emphasized the need for better coordination between federal and state governments to ensure the effectiveness of water supply improvements. 
• Sabah Barisan Nasional chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin stated that federal funds alone are insufficient to solve the water crisis and called for a comprehensive long-term plan to address the issue. 

Public Sentiment

Residents of Sabah have expressed frustration over the persistent water shortages and infrastructure problems:
• A Reddit user highlighted frequent water shortages and blackouts in their area, questioning the government’s responsiveness to these issues. 
• A student group criticized the government’s spending priorities, questioning the allocation of RM4 million for SMJ number plates while Sabahans endure water crises. 

These sentiments reflect a broader dissatisfaction with the handling of water supply issues in Sabah, indicating a need for more effective and transparent solutions.

Conclusion

While the federal government has made financial commitments to address Sabah’s water supply problems, the persistence of these issues suggests that funding alone is not sufficient. Effective coordination between federal and state authorities, comprehensive planning, and transparent implementation are crucial to resolving the water crisis in Sabah.

Salah menteri tak buat kerja? Atau pun salah songlap?

Actually LGE sudah bagi tau, but you all sibuk kecam dia.

Ironically, he was also one of the vocal ones when we had water cuts recently in Penang.

Think for yourself, if you have enough money for free higher education, but at the same time, your water problems are not being fixed, itu sarahan siapa?

masalah sabah

komplen kat premier sarawak

ketua menteri sabah apa citer

The entire daerah no air 😂😂

Malu lah wei. Sampai neighbour state CM gotto voice out.

Should be under water authority then. Dulu LGE also kasi sound when Penang got water cut. Even if got water cut, they should provide water tankers and other measures to reduce the hardship.

what penang is doing now is called preventative maintenance

how sabahan wish those are being done in sabah
u go to JANS FB page now, all notice are emergency repair....never ending


sabah today....before meter already no water/not enough pressure

which is why people install water pump at the meter to boost that pressure if there is infact water
but most of the case is there is no water at all before the meter

the whole daerah suffers no water problem for years

The Sabah water issue cannot be viewed in isolation. This problem traces all the way back to 2015. It’s not just “Melayu mudah lupa” — the truth is, all Malaysians forget too easily.

Why 2015?

That year marked a major turning point — a magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Sabah, causing widespread destruction. The Sabah Special Functions Minister reported damages to public infrastructure and assets amounting to RM94.8 million, affecting 61 buildings, including mosques, schools, hospitals, and the Ranau police headquarters. Among the damaged facilities? Water reticulation pipeworks.

What happened next?
The federal government provided funding to Sabah to restore and repair the damage.

But just one year later, in October 2016, came the Sabah Water Department corruption probe. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) uncovered alleged abuse of power. Two senior officers were arrested, and RM114.5 million in assets were seized — the largest seizure in MACC’s history.

So what do we have here? Federal funds were clearly given to fix the pipework, but instead, they were misused by the very department entrusted to do the job.

So, did the federal government provide funding? Yes. Federal got bagi dana, bukan tak bagi.

To the younger crowd out there — budak-budak mentah — please, take some time to read your history. Deekshit or ChatPergiC won't give you such answer hor.

Has the case been resolved?

Nope. As of today, the case is still ongoing, even after all these years. Maybe they’re waiting for the all the witnesses to mati — then they’ll say, “Not enough evidence,” and the case gets dropped. Lol

lol
The 2016 scandal. One already DNAA. Three still on trial.
9 years dy.

Not his authority

You should know by now sabah is one of a kind. There are lots of river in sabah. N people are expected to self service 😂😂🤣🤣 kidding

This post has been edited by g5sim: May 27 2025, 08:08 PM

Damn the dam somemore la!

We wait la, see how thing unfold. Mana tau NFA. After this we all know how to exploit Malaysia legal system.

Kuat rasuah & makan ada video keluar YouTube. Nak caya GRS lagi ka? Kesian orang tak mandi... S!al botol...

NFA budaya kita

Usually it is the islands which have water problems because we have insufficient water catchment areas. For such a resource rich state, it is a pity.

So the tourist who go Sabah never shower the whole time there?????

Basically nothing he can do lulz

hotels have huge water tanks
or

2. buy water

hari itu kata sarawak boleh buat projek bawah 30M. kenapa pula nak minta federal fund? S4S

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/

Federal gib fund.

State songlap.

Then people complain.

Then escalate ask federal give more fund.

REPEAT

the water issue been running for years woi, since i was there in 2008, so at least 17 years lol
crazy

This post has been edited by WinkyJr: Jun 2 2025, 03:20 PM

moved to Putrajaya better , sure no water/electric disruption

cannot say for sure, maybe needs somebody there to actually verify
but if there is really one place, that's prolly the only small place that has water

but electricity wise, this one is a statewide issue....even hospital can't run from blackout
they only rely on generator to keep up

for example, there is such a shortage that every district there is quite a few SESB diesel generator being placed somewhere(waiting to be activated when needed)

mana macc?

gila lah this sabah. why I read like this is worse than kelantan now

kelantan's problem is dirty water

sabah's water is no water + aging infrastructure + laziness
the electricity part is also electricity shortage + infrastructure problem
every infra there is since british era and never maintain....same as KLIA, it's years and years of negligence

No wonder you moved to KL. 😄

Rahman Dahlan datang lagi

same guy who chicken out of debate with LGE?

nah, i moved to KL primarily because that place doesn't make sense anymore
like how can sabah's food is more expensive than klang valley?

You are absolutely right.
KK meat prices are comparable with Melbourne meat prices!
Ridiculous!

Project IC rear its ugly head

Sarawak govt should take over Sabah.
Water & electric issue, no matter how much federal give money every year. Also no end...
Malu la Sabah...

Rahman dahlan lol

Telibong 2 was promised to be completed back in November 2024.

Now? We are halfway into 2025

@Rahman Dahlah

Sabah ppl sendiri songlap and u support songlap gomen. Thats y la..

why abang jo ?
should be water minister merangkap TPM
image from another tered

That's why it being called Kelantan but worse version. And I'm not even kidding

Wrong its salahan semenanjung again

Sabahan manja issit

Kelantan people always no water even now, they just dig & suck underground water using water pump for their houses

no ground water here
and sabah isn't a kampung where u can simply dig anywhere anyway

Maybe Sarawak can consider to colonized Sabah.

2046: New North Kalimantan forms