The fifth World Water Forum opened on Monday in Istanbul, Turkey. Thousands of people are at the meeting - from heads of state and environmental and business leaders to scientists and activists - to discuss ways to manage and conserve the precious resource. The meeting comes as the United Nations warns of potential conflicts over water scarcity.
第五届世界水论坛会议本星期在土耳其的伊斯坦布尔举行。数以千计的与会者既有国家领导人、环境和商业团体领袖，也有科学家和活动人士，他们探讨的主要问题是如何处理和保护珍贵的水资源。这次会议是在联合国警告有可能因水资源短缺而爆发冲突的时刻召开的。
Water scarcity is one of the key issues dominating the Forum. Last week, the United Nations released its latest research on water, which paints a bleak picture of increasing demand and diminishing supplies.
缺水是这次论坛会议的一个关键性主题。上星期，联合国发布了一份有关水资源的最新研究报告，报告描绘了一个需求增加，供应减少的严峻局面。
UN report is wake-up call
Gerhard Payen is an adviser on water to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and President of The International Federation of Private Water Operators - association that connects international organizations with private sector providers of water and sanitation services. He says the U.N. report is an important wake up call to the world.
戈哈德.培恩是联合国秘书长潘基文的水资源顾问，也是私营供水商国际联盟的主席，这是一个联系国际机构和私营供水商以及公共卫生部门的组织。培恩说，联合国的报告是向世界敲响的警钟。
"The reality today is that water scarcity is increasing in many parts of the world because of increasing usage and also partly due to climate change," Payen explained. "This is a reality. So easy water [i.e., easily accessible drinking water] is over. So in the future, we will have to manage water more carefully. There are potential conflicts. So if the governments don't care that conflicts will emerge, this is at local regional and international level. This is a collective responsibility; all of us have a role to play. We have to realize we are so numerous on this planet. Easy water is over."
他说：“今天的现实是，因为使用增加，部分也由于气候变化，缺水现象在世界许多地区日益增加。这就是现实。人们可以轻易获得的水资源已经开发殆尽，未来我们将不得不更小心地对待水资源。存在发生冲突的可能性，如果政府不认真对待冲突可能发生的问题，就可能引发地区性和国际性冲突。这是一个需要集体承担的责任，我们大家都可以发挥作用。我们必须认识到，地球承载的人太多，可以轻易获得的水资源已经开发殆尽。”
Middle East is potential flashpoint
The Middle East, according to the U.N. report, is a potential flashpoint - particularly between Israel and its neighbors - because of dwindling water supplies.
根据联合国的报告，由于水资源供应日益下降，中东地区是潜在的冲突热点，尤其是在以色列和它的邻国之间。
Turkey, the host of the World Water Forum, is offering a solution that could help ease those tensions. The Turkish government is proposing to sell water to Israel from its eastern Mediterranean coast.
本届世界水论坛会议的东道国土耳其提供了一个能够帮助缓解紧张局面的解决方案。土耳其政府建议把自己地中海东岸的水资源卖给以色列。
Dogan Altinbilek, the former head of the Turkey's General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works, is one of the architects of the plan.
土耳其前国家水利工程董事会主席多根.埃尔金比莱克是这个方案的设计者之一。
"This is the most water-short area in the world. I have a stack of books at home on the topic of the water wars in the Middle East," he said. "There at least a dozen authors who mention that if there will be a war in the Middle East, it will be because of water. We [i.e., Turkey] will make a profit, but not a large amount [from selling and transporting water]. It is a resource that is really in short supply and we are going to make available."
他说：“这是世界上最缺水的地区之一，我家里有许多关于中东地区争夺水资源战争的书籍，至少有十几名作者提到，如果中东地区发生战争，那将是有关水的战争。出售并且运输水资源可以让土耳其获利，尽管利润不大。水的确已经成为一种供不应求的资源，我们将提供这种资源。”
The project is still in the planning stages with discussions over security, logistics and cost under way with Israel. However, some experts have raised environmental concerns over the plan. The commercialization of water and the role of the private sector is a major issue at the forum.
这个项目还在草拟阶段，正在同以色列进行有关安全、后勤供应以及成本方面的讨论。然而一些专家对这项方案提出了环境方面的担忧。水资源商业化以及私营部门的作用成为这次论坛会议的主要议题。
Protesters disagree with water 'privatization'
Outside the World Water Forum, hundreds of protesters demonstrated against what they call the "privatization" of water. Critics of the Forum accuse it of being too closely associated with business interests.
在世界水论坛的会场外面，数百名抗议者举行示威，反对他们所说的“水资源私有化”。批评这个论坛的人士谴责它与商业利益联系过于紧密。
An alternative forum set up by dozens of non-governmental organizations is expected to open in Istanbul later this week.
预计一个由数十个非政府组织建立的另外一个论坛会议将在本星期晚些时候开幕。
Mark Hayes of Corporate Accountability International says water privatization offers no solution to the world's water problems.
马克.哈耶斯是一个名叫“公司责任国际”组织的成员，他说水资源私有化无法解决国际水资源短缺的问题。
"Right now, if you look at how water policy has played out over the past 10 or 15 years, these private companies working closely with the World Bank, working closely even with some parts of the U.N., have really dictated the agenda," Hayes said. "And the result has been privatization fiascos in Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa as well as the growing trend toward commoditization of water, where there is a huge explosive growth in the bottled water market. So they have had their chance - privatization can solve this problem. And it's pretty clear, even from their own sources, that it is not a panacea."
“现在，如果你看看过去10到15年水资源政策如何演变，你就会发现那些私营公司同世界银行、甚至同联合国的某些机构密切合作，已经切实制定出规划，结果在拉丁美洲、东南亚和非洲，水资源私有化以及日益增长的水资源商品化的尝试全面失败。那里的瓶装水市场呈爆炸式增长，他们已经得到了机会进行尝试，以为私有化可以解决这个问题。事情一目了然，即使他们利用自己的资源也不会提供一剂灵丹妙药。”
Role for private, public sectors in finding solution
The role of the private sector in helping to deal with the growing challenges of conserving and delivering safe water to the world's population is another key issue at the forum.
私营部门如何发挥作用，协助应付保护和向全世界人口提供安全用水的挑战是这次论坛的另一个重要议题。
Gerhard Payen of The International Federation of Private Water Operators says there is a role for both the private and public sectors. He adds that pragmatism should triumph over ideology.
私营供水商国际联盟主席戈哈德.培恩说，私营和公共部门都能发挥作用。他补充说，实用主义将胜过理论空谈。
"Today there is a divide between 3.5 billion people who have access to tap water and the other three billion who have no access to tap water - either at home or in the immediate vicinity," Payen said. "There is a big divide in the world between those who benefit from the public water service and those who don't benefit from it. In the past 15 years, the private sector has provided access to water to 25 million people or more. So the issue today is: When do we want that all people get safe and reliable access to water? This is the main issue. For those people, the most important thing is access to water."
“目前在能够饮用自来水的35亿人口和无论在家或在其周围地区都无法饮用自来水的另外30亿人口之间存在分歧。当今世界上，在享受公共供水福利的人们和无法享有这一福利的人们之间存在分歧。过去15年来，私营部门向2千500多万人口供水。所以现在的问题是，我们什么时候才能让所有人都接触到安全可靠的水呢？这是一个主要问题。对于这些人来说，最重要的问题是供水。”
The World Water Forum also offers a week-long venue for government representatives. These meetings are being held behind closed doors, away from the main venue.
世界水论坛也为政府代表提供为期一个星期的会议场所，这些会议将脱离主会场单独举行，属于非公开会议。 |