S’gor, KL, Putrajaya face risk of water shortage by 2014
This sounds very worrying. We have taken clean fresh water for granted that it is just there to use. But this news warns us to conserve water. That is what we will have to do. We have to conserve water more.
Tsem Rinpoche
By Sebastian Loh, Updated: 7/22/2010
S’gor, KL, Putrajaya face risk of water shortage by 2014
The horror is only 4 years off. Residents of Selangor, KL, and Putrajaya may have to deal with nauseating levels of body odour come 2014.
According to the Star, a Malaysian daily, these three locations can expect a water deficit of 476 million litres per day in 2014 when demand overtakes supply.
The National Water Source Report 2000-2050 anticipates demand for treated water to grow annually between 2% and 3.5% for the three locations, revealed the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry in a statement on Wednesday.
The numbers for the three areas, according to the ministry: In 2014, daily demand for water will hit 4,907 million litres while effective supply capacity would follow at a worrying 4,431 million litres. The expected deficit would begin this year itself – a total demand of 4,391 million litres daily would outstrip supply by 65 million litres.
So should we be worried?
There seems to be a spat between the federal government and the Selangor state government over the this.
The former argues that unless the RM9 billion Pahang-Selangor raw water transfer project is operational by 2014, there will be a statewide water shortage by then.
The latter disputes this, and has been reluctant to cooperate with the former in moving the project forward.
Who’s right? We don’t know.
What can you do in the meantime? Perhaps stock up on gas masks. Not only will you be prepared to face the possibility of an olfatorily unpleasant water shortage, you’ll be well equipped to deal with the oh-so-common haze seasons as well as pandemic outbreaks originating from a random domesticated animal.
(Yes, we joke in that last paragraph, you silly person.)
Source: http://news.malaysia.msn.com/regional/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4232740
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We have not been taking the presence of our water seriously and thus we will be facing a water shortage in the near future. But we can prevent this as the future is not cast in stone. We can avert this scary fate by saving water. Water shortage is a very big thing happening world wide. I have been to Australia and I have seen the big differences from the water consumption there and here. In Australia they have water restrictions. If Malaysia goes any further in this crisis, the government would have to put up water restrictions too. I personally don’t want that.
hi, may i take this opportunity to suggest that all spiritual people do prayers on the bodies of water in their region. Emoto, a japanese scientist, has proven that by positive thought forms one can change the quality of the water. Some groups of people have been trying to go to their local lakes, rivers, wells, etc to do prayers and positive energising of the water, removing pollutants, sending love and appreciation to the Goddess/Spirit/Dakini of Water and removing all energies of hate, anger, fear from the water with very good results… when measuring the water quality after the prayers, one finds that the energy level is higher and that the pollutants (they have many names for it, coliforms, algae, other toxic substances) have greatly reduced…
i think we should all do our part for Mother Earth and respect her. One of the prevalent problems nowadays is a lack of respect and appreciation for our natural resources and we can all do this easily. Else, one day pure clean water might not be so easy to come by.
Do your prayers and direct it with your strong and concentrated intent to the bodies of water around you. Ask from your spiritual deities or Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to bless the water and remove all pollutants, send feelings of thanks and gratitude to the water.
Anyway, just my take… thanks.
and may i add, sometimes the energy level of the water is raised so high through concerted intention that it can remove pain and sickness just as healing waters from the various sacred places in the world can.
this has happened and is happening and will continue to happen. i hope we will take this bit of information and do something for ourselves and the environment in our localities.
水供的意義與功德—一 海濤 輯
一、七供：我們經常可以看到佛堂裡擺設上百組的七供。每一組七供包括：水、水、花、香、燈、塗、食。亦有八供，則是增加樂器。這七供或八供也可以完全以水來代替。
二、供水的利益
1.供七杯水的意義，是代表成就金剛總持和合七支的因。但這並不表示不能供養更多，也不表示供養更多會造成障礙。
2.這七支是：
(1)受用圓滿；(2)和合；(3)大樂；(4)無自性；
(5)大悲遍滿；(6)利生無間；(7)永住無滅。
三、供水的利益——佛前供水十萬杯
1.佛前供一杯水，水代表心，心要像水一樣乾淨、像水一樣平等。心清淨、平等，就是功德。
2.水有八種功德，分別有八種表義，所以供水因緣十分吉祥：
(1)清涼表義：持戒清淨，(2)味甘表義：勝味，得享百味食；
(3)性輕表義：身心堪忍壯健，(4)質軟表義：意念柔順；
(5)清澈表義：意念清明，(6)無臭表義：淨除罪障；
(7)益喉表義：音聲和雅，成就妙語；
(8)養胃表義：身不生疾，健康無病。
3.由於水取得容易而且經濟，所以供水是積聚功德、消除貪瞋癡的一個很好的方法。
4.其次，水代表空性的特質，能顯現一切，但本質是空，具有無常易變的特質。因此供水較不易生起執著。
四、如何供水：
(1)每天擦供杯時，要徹底擦乾淨。擦拭時，可以思惟在淨除自己和眾生的兩種障礙。
(2)如果有香，可先點香，然後將供杯放在香的上方薰一下，以淨化供杯，再把供杯疊在一起。
水供的意義與功德—二 海濤 輯
(3)為了避免呼出的濁氣污染供品，供水時應該戴口罩。
(4)先緣杯：每組第一個供杯裝滿水，再把大部分的水倒入下一杯，第一杯裡面留些水。再把第二杯裡面大部分的水倒入第三杯，依次倒到最後一杯。倒水同時唸「嗡啊吽」加持。
(5)如未先加持而直接供養，雖然會有功德，不過這樣的供養容易造成障礙，使心變得不清淨、不穩定。
(6)供水應該倒至離杯邊緣約一粒米距離處，而不應該全滿。這樣可以避免收供杯時濺濕供桌。
(7)如果你倒太多水而溢出供杯外，將來你雖有才智卻會不穩定，會健忘或心智不清明，諸事混淆不清，無法記得字句或其含意，或者你會把意思混淆，而且也可能使你持戒不嚴謹。
(8)擺設供杯時，杯與杯的距離應該是一粒米的寬度，不要相隔太遠，但也不能相碰。若是供杯間的距離太大，將會使你遠離善識。若相碰或距離太近，會造成將來你的心識遲鈍，不會有敏銳的聰慧。
(9)供杯要擺設得很莊嚴整齊，不要擺得彎彎曲曲的。它的含意是不要以扭曲的心來供養，亦即應以不受世俗名利污染的清淨心來供養。
(10)供養時可以再唸「嗡啊吽」或持《供養陀羅尼》。
唵 阿謨伽 布惹麼抳 缽納麼 乏日勒 怛他嘎哆
尾路積帝 三滿多 缽囉薩囉 吽
(11)此廣大不空摩尼供養陀羅尼，纔誦三遍則成於如來集會，及無邊微塵剎土中，雨無量廣大供養。
(12)每日供水時應發願：「普為眾生而修善法，忍受眾毒不能變壞。」
(13)最後迴向：「願將這供水的功德以及一切眾生和自己所累積的一切功德，僅僅迴向給一切有情眾生，而不是由自己來享有它。」
(14)如此思惟可成為修心五力，累積功德以生起菩提心。所以應該盡力迴向，為了利益一切有情，要迅速成佛。
I guess city folks would find it more difficult when the water shortage starts. Especially in high rise buildings and condos. If there is a water shortage in that area then the pressure will not be able to pump the water up to the high rise building resulting in low supply of water. I stay in a Condo myself at the top most level in my block. I am used to getting very low pressure. Some of the condo units will have to install water pumps to pump the water up. Thus affecting the flow of water to those without water pumps. I guess by 2014 should there be water shortage in these areas. Then people in high rise will have a problem.
Dear Rinpoche,
Thanks for reminding us that we need to conserve this precious natural resource for the future. Since we are so blessed in Malaysia that water is not a scarce resources, sometimes we just dont think about what is left for the future? We just dont appreciate it very much..but with this “red alert”, we better change our water usage behavior before it is too late..
Not only that we need to stock up our masks, if we dont look at this seriously, even clean water for offering to the Buddha might be scarce.. 🙂
Thank you Rinpoche for posting this matter on your blog. I hope it will create awareness for the public to start conserving water.
Water is getting to be a big issue in most countries in the world now and near future. I live in Australia and we have been having water restiction for quite a number of years already. We, Australian, are very cautious of how we use our precious water. Even from saving the water from our showers, kitchen, washing machine (to name a few) for watering our gardens. In Victoria, we are very lucky to have good rainfall over the winter months and now our water restriction is being brought down to Stage 2 instead of Stage 3.
I was in Kuala Lumpur a few time this year and have noticed that water consumption is very high just by watching how maids in the whole neighbourhood hose their gardens, pavements, all over the outside of the house etc etc every morning (and worst of all with water running and while yepping to their mates over the fences).
Water is precious!! And I hope everyone will try to conserve it as from now even though it is still plentiful at this moment.
“Save water around your home and you won’t have to splash out on your water bill”. Saving water and money at the same time!