The United Nations is urgently appealing for more than $25 million to help some two million people in the Central Asian country of Tajikistan who are suffering from severe cold and energy shortages. The United Nations describes the crisis affecting Tajikistan as life threatening.
联合国紧急呼吁募集超过两千五百万美元的资金，帮助中亚国家塔吉克斯坦的大约两百万正在忍受严寒和能源短缺的人。联合国说，塔吉克斯坦的这场危机危及当地人的生命。
Tajikistan is facing the most severe winter in 25 years. And, it is having a devastating affect upon a country where 50 percent of the inhabitants live below the poverty line.
塔吉克斯坦出现了25年来最寒冷的冬季。严寒给这个有一半居民生活在贫困线以下的国家带来了灾难性的影响。
The United Nations estimates nearly one third of Tajikistan's population of seven million are suffering in different degrees from extreme cold, lack of fuel, food, clean water and ill health.
联合国估计，极度寒冷的天气，燃料、食物和洁净水的缺乏以及疾病给塔吉克斯坦七百万人口中的将近三分之一带来不同程度的痛苦。
The country's hydroelectric power stations are barely producing any electricity, compounding the problems from the winter cold. This is causing a severe disruption of heating, water supplies and basic social services.
塔吉克斯坦的水电站几乎不再发电，恶化了严寒带来的问题，严重扰乱了供暖、供水和一些基本社会服务项目。
Gabriella Waaijman is the UN Humanitarian Agency's Regional Disaster Response Adviser for Central Asia. In an interview from Almaty, Khazakstan, she tells VOA that people in Tajikistan's urban areas are most affected by the energy crisis.
联合国人道主义事务协调办公室负责中亚地区的自然灾害应急顾问瓦伊曼在哈萨克斯坦的阿拉木图接受采访时对美国之音说，塔吉克斯坦城市地区的居民受能源危机的影响最大。
"In some of the main urban centers, they have less than 10 hours of electricity a day," said Waaijman. "As a result, hospitals have frequent power outages and therefore access to health care is being affected. And, most importantly, or equally important, people have difficult access to clean drinking water because in urban areas, the drinking water is being pumped to the houses and a lack of electricity, of course, is affecting this ability to pump the water to the houses."
她说：“在一些主要的城市，供电时间每天不到十小时。结果，医院经常停电，这就影响了人们得到医疗照料的途径。更重要的是，或者同样重要的是，人们很难喝到清洁的饮用水，因为在城市地区，饮用水是被水泵抽送到各家各户的，很显然，由于缺少电力，向居民泵水受到了影响。”
Waaijman says mass care facilities, such as schools, orphanages, hospitals and homes for the elderly are hardest hit by the energy crisis. And, these facilities now rely heavily on generators for the most essential services.
瓦伊曼说，受能源危机影响最严重的地方是学校、孤儿院、医院和老人院这样的公众照料机构。这些机构目前严重依赖发电机来维持大部分核心工作的运转。
The United Nations reports the economic and social shock resulting from the cold weather and lack of energy has worsened the food situation in rural areas.
联合国的报告说，寒冷和能源短缺所导致的经济和社会冲击使农村地区的粮食问题更加严重。
Humanitarian agencies report at least one quarter of a million people need immediate food assistance and this number may reach one half million. The government says up to two million people may need food assistance through the end of winter.
人道救援机构的报告说，至少有25万人需要立即得到食品援助，而且这一数字可能将升高到50万。塔吉克斯坦政府说，到冬季结束时为止，需要食品援助的人可能会高达两百万。
U.N. official Waaijman says the coming of spring will be a mixed blessing. As temperatures rise, the ice will melt and this, she says will make more water available for the power generating plants.
联合国官员瓦伊曼说，春季即将到来并不完全是好消息。她说，随着气温升高，冰雪将会融化，这将使发电厂遭遇更多的水。
"The bad thing though about having more water available is that the snowfall this year has been so much more than normal, more than 200 percent more than normal, that we fear that if snow starts melting, that we will see an increase in flooding and mud slides and landslides in this region," said Waaijman.
她说：“水多也有不好的地方。由于今年的降雪量大大超过一般水平，是往年一般降雪量的三倍，所以我们担心，一旦雪开始融化，我们会在这一地区看到更多的洪水、泥石流和山崩。”
Priority needs are for food, clean water, fuel, electrical power for heat and essential health care. The appeal also includes plans to avert life-threatening situations possible this spring.
现在，塔吉克斯坦人民最需要的是食品、洁净水、供暖用的电力和基本的医疗照料。联合国的呼吁还说，计划可能在今年春天扭转目前危及生命的局势。
Aid agencies will reinforce systems to warn people of impending floods and landslides. They will provide critical shelter and livelihoods to communities, if these events do occur.
救援机构将建立警报系统，警告人们可能发生的洪水和山崩。一旦真的发生这些自然灾害，救援机构还将为人们提供重要的避难所和生活资料。 |