2007年VOA标准英语-With Conflict Ebbing, Kashmir Turns Attention t

By Raymond Thibodeaux
Srinagar
27 June 2007

Kashmir has had its share of turmoil¹ in the past two decades as Indian army troops have clashed with militants² allegedly backed by neighboring Pakistan. But as the conflict seems to be ebbing³, many Kashmiris are turning their attention to environmental issues, which were neglected during the fighting. High on their agenda is cleaning up the pollution in Dal Lake, as Raymond Thibodeaux reports from Srinagar, the capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

A Kashmiri boatman paddles his boat in marshland, once part of the famous Dal Lake, in Srinagar India, Wednesday, 7 June 2007

The serene⁴ Dal Lake in Kashmir Valley has inspired mystics and saints, as well as hundreds of fruit and vegetable vendors⁵ like these, selling produce from 12-foot wooden boats. Buddha⁶ is said to have meditated⁷ on the banks of Dal Lake. The late Beatle George Harrison spent days in a houseboat here, learning to play sitar.

In the 30 years since, the number of people living in houseboats on Dal Lake has quadrupled to more than 60,000. And over the past few years, nearly a quarter million tourists have come annually⁸ to stay on the lake.

More people, more pollution. 

Shaffat Syed heads Global Green Peace, a local private agency trying to clean up Dal Lake. He says the surge of population on the lake and in the surrounding city of Srinagar has hurt the lake.

SYED: "Ten years back everybody in Srinagar used fish (from the lake), even the vegetables. And even people used to wash their hands and drink water from the lake. But now, as you see the evidence of waterborne diseases like hepatitis and all that is growing. I don't think I'm too foolish to do that."

THIBODEAUX: You would not eat fish?

SYED: "No, I don't think so because I don't know what I am eating."

The lake is littered with plastic bags, empty soda⁹ bottles and broken flip-flops - the trash from Srinagar's bustling¹⁰ street markets and tourist boats. But environmental experts say the biggest problem is sewage, thousands of tons of it flowing into the lake every day.

Much of it is untreated human waste from the houseboats, houses and hotels that is dumped into the lake. The result is an explosion in algae¹¹ and other plants that rob the lake of oxygen. The oxygen is needed to support aquatic¹² life.

Analysts¹³ say that, in some parts of the lake, levels of fecal coliform, a potentially deadly bacterium¹⁴, are well above what the World Health Organization considers safe for swimming.

Irshad Khan is the director of Kashmir state's forest ministry¹⁵, which monitors the health of the region's lakes and rivers. He says the state's sewage treatment facilities are inadequate¹⁶ for the nearly one million people who live in Srinagar.

"This is a major problem here, in fact," Irshad said. "The Kashmir Valley does not have a well-planned, well-laid sewerage system. So entire waste water, domestic particularly, is being discharged into the rivers and lakes. In the Dal Lake in Srinagar, most of the sewage of the city or waste water is being discharged into it. Now, a few treatment plants have been set up here and there, three or four, but still the problem remains¹⁷."

Building more sewage treatment plants was part of a $150 million government program launched in 2005 to clean up Dal Lake. The plan also included relocating scores of small factories and hundreds of families living on illegal landfills around the lake, who authorities say are responsible for dumping tons of trash and sewage.

So far, the plan has not had much success, largely because of a separatist insurgency¹⁸ that has wracked Kashmir for two decades. In the past few years, peace efforts have eased the fighting and now authorities here want to revive plans to save the lake.

That is good news to Syed at Global Green Peace.

"If we leave it as it is and the problem starts aggravating¹⁹, aggravating, aggravating, a time will come when it will be a point of no return for this lake. Because if population keeps on going up and up inside the lake, (and) then if we will not manage tourism inside the lake, we do not manage our houseboats, we do not manage the waste coming out the houseboats and hotels and other things on the peripheries²⁰, definitely the effect will be on this lake," Sayed said.

Many Kashmiris feel the same way. Some are taking matters into their own hands. Recently, more than 50 volunteers gathered to collect garbage from Dal Lake. Environmental activists²¹ here say they hope to see more volunteer projects to clean up the lake. Waiting for the government to do it, they say, could take a while.

1 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

2 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

3 ebbing   

（指潮水）退( ebb的现在分词 )； 落； 减少； 衰落

参考例句：

• The pain was ebbing. 疼痛逐渐减轻了。
• There are indications that his esoteric popularity may be ebbing. 有迹象表明，他神秘的声望可能正在下降。

4 serene   

adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的

参考例句：

• He has entered the serene autumn of his life.他已进入了美好的中年时期。
• He didn't speak much,he just smiled with that serene smile of his.他话不多，只是脸上露出他招牌式的淡定的微笑。

5 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

6 Buddha   

n.佛；佛像；佛陀

参考例句：

• Several women knelt down before the statue of Buddha and prayed.几个妇女跪在佛像前祈祷。
• He has kept the figure of Buddha for luck.为了图吉利他一直保存着这尊佛像。

7 meditated   

深思，沉思，冥想( meditate的过去式和过去分词 )； 内心策划，考虑

参考例句：

• He meditated for two days before giving his answer. 他在作出答复之前考虑了两天。
• She meditated for 2 days before giving her answer. 她考虑了两天才答复。

8 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

9 soda   

n.苏打水；汽水

参考例句：

• She doesn't enjoy drinking chocolate soda.她不喜欢喝巧克力汽水。
• I will freshen your drink with more soda and ice cubes.我给你的饮料重加一些苏打水和冰块。

10 bustling   

adj.喧闹的

参考例句：

• The market was bustling with life. 市场上生机勃勃。
• This district is getting more and more prosperous and bustling. 这一带越来越繁华了。

11 algae   

n.水藻，海藻

参考例句：

• Most algae live in water.多数藻类生长在水中。
• Algae grow and spread quickly in the lake.湖中水藻滋蔓。

12 aquatic   

adj.水生的，水栖的

参考例句：

• Aquatic sports include swimming and rowing.水上运动包括游泳和划船。
• We visited an aquatic city in Italy.我们在意大利访问过一个水上城市。

13 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

14 bacterium   

n.(pl.)bacteria 细菌

参考例句：

• The bacterium possibly goes in the human body by the mouth.细菌可能通过口进入人体。
• A bacterium is identified as the cause for his duodenal ulcer.一种细菌被断定为造成他十二指肠溃疡的根源。

15 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

16 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

17 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

18 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

19 aggravating   

adj.恼人的，讨厌的

参考例句：

• How aggravating to be interrupted! 被打扰，多令人生气呀！
• Diesel exhaust is particularly aggravating to many susceptible individuals. 许多体质敏感的人尤其反感柴油废气。

20 peripheries   

n.外围( periphery的名词复数 )；边缘；周围

参考例句：

• The peripheries are lined by respiratory epithelium. 表面是线性排列的呼吸道上皮。 来自互联网

21 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》