VOA慢速英语2017 数十万索马里人因为干旱和冲突流离失所（在线收听）

Hundreds of Thousands of Somalis Displaced by Drought, Conflict

Drought and conflict have caused a new displacement crisis in the southern part of Somalia.

干旱和冲突造成了索马里南部新的流离失所危机。

Gerard Waite is chief of mission for the International Organization for Migration Somalia. He said about 800,000 people fled their homes over the past seven months. This is in addition to the 1.1 million people already displaced in the country.

杰拉德·威特（Gerard Waite）是国际移民组织索马里地区的任务负责人。他说过去七个月里有80万人逃离了家园。这是该国已有的110万流离失所者之外的新增人口。

“We have a displacement crisis on top of a drought crisis,” Waite said.

威特表示：“除了干旱危机，我们还面临着流离失所危机。”

Poor camp conditions

难民营条件糟糕

He also said that the newly displaced people have put heavy pressure on existing camps.

他还表示，这些新增的流离失所者已经对现有难民营造成了严重压力。

“These camps are, by and large, not very well managed. They are normally on private land in very cramped conditions. They do not have the basic services in these camps,” Waite said.

威特表示：“这些难民营总体来说都管理不善，它们一般都处于非常拥挤的私人土地上，不具备基本服务条件。”

The displaced people are not living in healthy conditions, and are forced to drink unclean water. This has caused over 71,000 cases of cholera or severe diarrhea in 2017, resulting in nearly 1,100 deaths.

流离失所者健康状况不佳，并且被迫饮用不洁净的水。这已经造成了2017年发生7.1万例以上的霍乱或严重腹泻，并导致近1100人死亡。

“Water shortages have meant that people are drinking higher-risk water, taking water which they know to be contaminated but they drink it anyway,” Waite said.

威特表示：“水资源短缺意味着人们正在饮用高度危险的水，取用明知道已经污染的水源。但是他们只能喝下去。”

Difficult weather patterns

艰难的气候模式

Climate experts say the recent rainy season was well below average this year. It usually lasts from April to June. The next rainy season is not expected until October, but experts warn there will be heavy crop losses.

气候专家表示，最近这次雨季远低于今年的平均水平。这次雨季从4月持续到6月。下次雨季预计要到十月份之后，但是专家警告说这将会造成严重的作物损失。

In addition, climate estimates suggest that there is a 45 percent chance of an El Ni?o weather event late in 2017. That could cause a further reduction in rain.

此外，气候评估表明，2017年末有45%的几率发生厄尔尼诺现象，这可能会进一步减少降雨。

An El Ni?o is an irregular weather event usually resulting in warmer-than-average temperatures in some places around the world.

厄尔尼诺现象是一种不规律的天气现象，它通常会导致全球某些地区的气温高于平均水平。

Waite said about 6.7 million people in Somalia are either suffering or near suffering from a food crisis.

威特表示，索马里有670万人要么正在遭受，要么接近遭受粮食危机。

Managing and preparing for drought

管理和应对干旱

According to Waite, the International Organization for Migration has learned from Somalia’s drought in 2011. In that period of extremely dry weather, 200,000 people are believed to have died.

威特表示，国际移民组织已经从索马里2011年的干旱中学到了经验，据认为有20万人在那次严重干旱天气期间死亡。

“The need to deliver health systems to these places is extremely pressing,” Waite said. However, he said they are also trying to work with the Somali government to create spaces that are better controlled and managed.

威特表示：“向这些地区提供卫生系统的需求非常迫切。”不过他表示，他们也正试图同索马里政府合作，创造出管理良好的空间。

Somalia’s finance minister, Abdirahman Duale Beyle, told VOA in May that the droughts in Somalia are cyclical. He also said Somalia has become too dependent on external aid.

索马里财政部长阿布迪拉赫曼·杜阿莱·贝尔(Abdirahman Duale Beyle)在5月对美国之音表示，索马里的干旱是周期性的。他还表示，索马里已经变得过于依赖外部援助。

“We have to change that kind of attitude,” Beyle said.

贝尔表示：“我们必须改变这种态度。”

There are projects meant to prepare Somalia for droughts, however.

然而目前有多个项目意图帮助索马里应对干旱。

The IOM, for example, is introducing drought-resistant potatoes. The U.N. Development Program is helping with several projects, including creating below-surface water tanks, wells, and community water storage ponds in Somaliland.

例如国际移民组织正在引进抗旱的马铃薯。联合国开发计划署正在通过几个项目帮助索马里，包括在索马里兰建造地下储水罐、水井以及社区储水池。

Beyle said now is the time for Somalis themselves to take responsibility for solving the problem.

贝尔表示，目前是时候让索马里自行承担起解决问题的责任。

“We have the technology, the intelligence and the know-how to break the link between drought and famine,” he said.

他说：“我们有技术、有才智和实际经验来打破干旱和饥荒之间的联系。”

I’m Phil Dierking.

Words in This Story

drought - n. a long period of time during which there is very little or no rain?

contaminated - adj. to be made dangerous, dirty, or impure by adding something harmful or undesirable to it?

cramped - adj. not having enough space inside?

cyclical - adj. happening again and again in the same order ?

displace - v. to force (people or animals) to leave the area where they live?

manage - v. to take care of and make decisions about ?

external - adj. coming from outside?

famine - n. a situation in which many people do not have enough food to eat