雨水有助缓解印尼火灾浓烟

AS IT IS 2015-10-31 Rain Helps Ease Smoke from Indonesian Fires 雨水有助缓解印尼火灾浓烟

Forest fires continue to burn in several parts of Indonesia.

A brief rain storm helped break up smoke from some of the fires on Wednesday. The governor of Riau province said 90-minutes of rainfall cleared away much of the smoke in northern Sumatra. He said the haze¹ was reduced to a level where commercial airline companies could operate again.

But another official told reporters that much more rain is needed to help put out the fires. Luhut Panjaitan is Indonesia’s Coordinating² Minister of Politics, Law and Security.

He said, “This week we have rain. If we have intensive rain for four straight days and our water bombings continue, I hope we would be back to normal next week. That’s our hope, but again it all depends on how much rain we have,” he said.

The official added that he has asked government agencies to consider the possibility of creating artificial rain.

Indonesia has come under heavy pressure from neighboring countries and environmental groups to put out the fires. Every year, some companies set forest fires on purpose. They do this to clear land and make way for palm oil plantations³.

Thousands of people have developed breathing problems because of the smoke. Some non-governmental organizations plan to take legal action against the government. They say Indonesian officials have ignored the well-being⁴ of communities affected⁵ by the smoke.

The government has deployed⁶ more than 22,000 police officers and armed forces members to fight the forest fires. There are more than 1,600 fires burning in at least six provinces.

Words in This Story

haze – n. smoke or dust clouds in the air

straight – adj. following one after the other

artificial – adj. man-made; not happening or existing naturally

plantations - n. a large area of land or farm, especially one where crops are grown

1 haze   

n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊

参考例句：

• I couldn't see her through the haze of smoke.在烟雾弥漫中，我看不见她。
• He often lives in a haze of whisky.他常常是在威士忌的懵懂醉意中度过的。

2 coordinating   

v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的现在分词 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• He abolished the Operations Coordinating Board and the Planning Board. 他废除了行动协调委员会和计划委员会。 来自辞典例句
• He's coordinating the wedding, and then we're not going to invite him? 他是来协调婚礼的，难道我们不去请他？ 来自电影对白

3 plantations   

n.种植园，大农场( plantation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Soon great plantations, supported by slave labor, made some families very wealthy. 不久之后出现了依靠奴隶劳动的大庄园，使一些家庭成了富豪。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• Winterborne's contract was completed, and the plantations were deserted. 维恩特波恩的合同完成后，那片林地变得荒废了。 来自辞典例句

4 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。