Universiti Sains Malaysia ensures equitable access to safe and clean water through its campus-wide initiative to provide free drinking water for students, staff, and visitors. This initiative supports the university’s health, well-being, and sustainability goals while reducing single-use plastic consumption across all campuses.

By 2024, more than 110 free drinking water dispensers were installed across the whole university, strategically positioned in academic buildings, administrative offices, research centres, residential colleges, and public facilities to ensure convenient access for all. These dispensers are maintained regularly to guarantee high water quality and compliance with safety standards.

At the USM Main Campus, free drinking water points are located in key buildings such as the Pusat Sejahtera, Hamzah Sendut Library, Chancellory buildings, Desasiswa Indah Kembara, and the Schools of Biological Sciences, Computer Sciences, Arts, Management, and Industrial Technology. Additional dispensers serve high-traffic public areas including the Cultural Hall, Museum, and Security Department guardhouses. Each unit is strategically installed at accessible locations such as lobbies, student centres, laboratories, and office corridors.

Beyond the main campus, the initiative extends to USM’s health and medical facilities, including the Pusat Perubatan Universiti Sains Malaysia, Bertam (PPUSMB) and the Institut Perubatan dan Pergigian Termaju (IPPT). These facilities together host more than 25 free drinking water stations located in laboratories, clinics, pharmacy units, daycare centres, and staff offices to ensure continuous hydration for medical staff, students, and patients. The Engineering Campus also maintains several water dispensers in laboratories, lecture blocks, and student areas, ensuring all major USM campuses provide equal access to free drinking water.

To enhance transparency and accessibility, below are the maps of free drinking water stations across the Main Campus, showing the distribution of dispensers by building and cluster. These maps serve as a visual guide to help students, staff, and visitors locate the nearest drinking water facilities with ease.

This initiative exemplifies USM’s commitment to sustainability and community well-being. By providing free drinking water stations throughout the whole university, USM promotes healthy hydration habits, supports campus inclusivity, and reduces environmental impact through the minimisation of bottled water use.

Example pictures of water dispensers at USM