KOTA KINABALU: The state government is doing its best to solve the Universiti Malaysia Sabah's (UMS) water woes before the end of this month.
State Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya said the issue could be overcome by the completion of Telibong 2 Phase 2 project (T2P2) which was commissioned in early December.
"However, there are some piping works that need to be completed in order for the additional volume of treated water from T2P2 to be linked and released into the distribution network.
"All efforts are being done to ensure this is completed before the end of January, thus easing the pressing issue that is being faced currently," he told the New Straits Times.
Shahelmey, who is also state public works minister, also added that based on Sabah Water Department records for last month, the average volume of water supplied to UMS was around 2.7 million litres per day (MLD) but the varsity's requirement was around 2.98MLD.
In the case of shortage of the water supply, he said the department had topped up the supply by sending water tankers to UMS.
"On the other hand, the continuous challenge caused by water theft through illegal tappings and vandalism to the Water Department's pipe network and system also contribute to the problem."