By Remy Majangkim, MA63 Activist, Tutor and Historian
KOTA KINABALU: Good day, earlier this year, the news was all over on the water woes faced by students in the University Malaysia Sabah or UMS.
The problem extends from frequent interruptions of water, murky brown water and, worst of all, no water at all for days and some weeks at a time. Recently, there are video going viral that the water tank on campus was contaminated by maggots, most likely rats died inside it.
Students and teaching staff have an enormous task in keeping their heads on the game that is to excel in their education and give quality education to our next generation.
These are an additional hurdle for students not knowing that they will be able to get clean water for bathing, drinking and various basic activities.
Note the psychological impact one has to face with assignment, research and paper for submission for your classes compounded without fulfillment of basic human needs.
This has come to the attention of the Prime Minister during a Q&A session at the UMS Chancellor’s Hall held in early June. He announces and approves RM 3 million to support the water management on campus, which includes water drilling projects and rainwater collection, an act that has delighted the staff and students.
Interestingly, it was told during the Prime Minister’s visit that the water was miraculously available throughout the campus, and receded once again after he left the campus ground.
As we were heading towards the end of the year, students were still facing and gripe over water on campus. From my recent experience, we have to purchase a few empty water gallons for our nieces that have to stay on campus for a year before they would be able to rent an apartment outside campus.
We hope that the UMS management team and those involved in restoring the water woes in University Malaysia Sabah will hasten the water projects in the right manner.
