VOA慢速英語：伊拉克薩瓦湖缺水干涸

VOA慢速英語：伊拉克薩瓦湖缺水干涸

This year, for the first time in its long history, Iraq’s Lake Sawa dried up.
今年，在其漫長的歷史中，伊拉克的薩瓦湖第一次干涸。
 
“This lake was known as the pearl of the south,” said 35-year-old al-Aqouli, who lives in Samawa, near the lake.
35歲的阿爾·奧貝迪住在湖附近的薩馬瓦。他說：“這片湖被稱為南部珍珠。”
 
“Now it is our tragedy.”
“現(xiàn)在，它是我們的悲劇。”
 
A combination of bad ownership by local investors, government neglect and climate change has turned Lake Sawa into a salty, flat area.
當?shù)赝顿Y者糟糕的所有權、政府的忽視以及氣候變化的共同作用，使薩瓦湖變成了一個鹽堿化、平坦的地區(qū)。
 
The loss of Lake Sawa is only the latest addition to Iraq’s water shortage.
薩瓦湖干涸只是伊拉克水資源短缺新增加的一處。
 
Experts say it is caused by climate change.
專家表示，這是由氣候變化引起的。
 
Iraq has had drought and record low rainfall for years.
伊拉克多年來一直干旱，降雨量創(chuàng)歷史新低。
 
The importance of water is driving up competition among businessmen and farmers.
水的重要性正在加劇商人和農(nóng)民之間的競爭。
 
The poorest Iraqis are affected the most by the disaster.
最貧窮的伊拉克人受這場災難的影響最大。
 
The narrow stretch of farmland along the Euphrates River is surrounded by desert.
幼發(fā)拉底河沿岸狹窄的農(nóng)田被沙漠包圍。
 
The area was ignored by the government starting in the 1980s.
從20世紀80年代開始，該地區(qū)就被政府忽略了。
 
Locals call the area surrounding Lake Sawa “atshan” — meaning “thirsty” in Arabic.
當?shù)厝朔Q薩瓦湖周圍的地區(qū)為“atshan”——在阿拉伯語中的意思是“口渴的”。
 
Formed over rock, the lake has no path for water to move in or out.
這片湖是在巖石上形成的，沒有水流進和流出的通道。
 
For a long time, nobody knew where the Lake’s water came from.
在很長一段時間里，沒有人知道這片湖的水是從哪里來的。
 
Locals tell stories about how the water came to be in the lake.
當?shù)厝藗黜炛侨绾瘟魅牒械墓适隆?br />  
It is now known that the water comes from underground through a system of holes and breaks in rock.
現(xiàn)在人們知道了，水是通過巖石上的洞和裂縫從地下流進湖里的。
 
Rain from nearby valleys also feeds into the lake.
附近山谷的雨水也匯入湖中。
 
Lots of rain can cause flooding.
大量降雨會導致洪水泛濫。
 
The lake sits five meters above sea level.
這個湖海拔五米。
 
It is about 1.8 kilometers long.
大約有1.8公里長。
 
Laith Ali al-Obeidi is an environmental activist in southern Iraq.
萊斯·阿里·奧貝迪是伊拉克南部的一名環(huán)?；顒尤耸?。
 
“The degradation of the water began over 10 years ago, but this summer was the first time we lost the entire wetland,” he said.
他說：“水的流失在10多年前就開始了，但今年夏天我們第一次失去了整片濕地”。
 
Experts said the lake has not dried up permanently.
專家表示，該湖泊尚未永久干涸。
 
They say its disappearance this year is because of thousands of illegal wells.
他們表示，今年該湖泊消失的原因來自數(shù)千口非法水井。
 
Businessmen in nearby factories dig the wells because they cannot get enough water.
附近工廠的商人之所以挖井，是因為他們得不到足夠的水。
 
Some water began to come back into the lake by early June.
到6月初，一些水開始流回湖里。
 
That was when the harvest season ended, meaning farmers did not need as much water.
那是收獲季結束的時候，這意味著農(nóng)民不需要那么多的水。
 
Aoun Diab is an adviser to the Water Resources Ministry.
奧恩·迪亞布是水利部的顧問。
 
He said that closing illegal wells would have helped heal Lake Sawa.
他說，關閉非法水井有助于修復薩瓦湖。
 
These would directly affect the economic interests of local officials.
但這會直接影響到當?shù)毓賳T的經(jīng)濟利益。
 
The problem is not only affecting humans, but other animals as well.
這個問題不僅影響人類，也影響其他動物。
 
Lake Sawa is a complex ecosystem.
薩瓦湖是一個復雜的生態(tài)系統(tǒng)。
 
Sawa was filled with fish that were food for different kinds of birds.
湖里充滿了魚，它們是各種鳥類的食物。
 
When the lake dried up, the fish died.
湖水干涸時，魚就死了。
 
Now the birds will have to find other food.
現(xiàn)在，這些鳥將不得不尋找其他食物。
 
Lake Sawa is “a case study for climate change in Iraq,” al-Obeidi said.
阿爾·奧貝迪說，薩瓦湖是“伊拉克氣候變化的一個個案研究”。
 
“This is the future.”
“這就是未來。”
 
I’m Caty Weaver.
凱蒂·韋弗報道。