超过3亿人面临水污染风险

AS IT IS 2016-09-06 Water Pollution Puts Over 300 Million at Risk 超过3亿人面临水污染风险

More than 300 million people in Africa, Asia and Latin America are at risk of life-threatening diseases such as cholera¹ and typhoid.

The reason: Pollution of water in rivers and lakes.

These are findings in a report from the United Nations Environment Program, also known as UNEP.

Viruses, bacteria and other microscopic² organisms increased pollution in more than half of rivers across the three areas between 1990 and 2010, the report said. UNEP officials said long-lasting toxic³ pollutants⁴ like fertilizer or petrol increased during that period. Levels of salt rose in nearly one-third of the waterways.

The report listed population growth and expanding agriculture as two of the main reasons for the increase of surface water pollution. Another reason was an increased amount of untreated water containing waste products. In all, UNEP said, 323 million people were at risk of infection.

Dietrich Borchardt, the lead writer of the report, spoke⁵ to the Thomas Reuters Foundation. "The water quality problem at a global scale and the number of people affected⁶ by bad water quality are much more severe than we expected," he said.

But a large number of the rivers in the affected areas are still in good condition and need to be protected, Borchardt noted⁷.

Disease-causing pollution was a problem in almost 25 percent of rivers in Latin America, the UNEP report said. Between 10 and 25 percent of the rivers in Africa were affected, as were up to 50 percent in Asia. Untreated sewage was the main cause of this, it said.

The report added that nearly 3.4 million people die each year from diseases or conditions like cholera, typhoid, polio and diarrhea. These are related to water quality.

UN officials believe as many as 164 million people in Africa are at risk of infection from the diseases. They said that 134 million people in Asia and 25 million in Latin America also are at risk.

The report said building more sewage systems was not enough to solve the problems of infection and deaths. It said the solution was for countries to treat their wastewater.

Organic pollution, such as sewage, can cause water to lose all oxygen. One of every seven kilometers of river in Latin America, Asia and Africa has no oxygen. This threatens freshwater fisheries, the report said.

Mines, homes and irrigation systems often release salty water in rivers and lakes, creating high salt levels there. Moderate to high salt levels affect one in three rivers across three continents, the report said.

Dietrich Borchardt called the increasing levels of water pollution over time “critical.”

"It [costs] much more [money] to clean up surface water from severe pollution than to [start effective] management, which includes prevention of pollution," he said. "Tools are available but the [problem] is [getting people to use] them."

Words in This Story

toxic– adj. containing substances sickness or death by entering or touching⁸ the body

petrol – n. a liquid made from petroleum⁹ and used especially as a fuel for engines

sewage – n. waste material that is carried away from homes and other buildings in a system of pipes

irrigation – n. the supply of water used on something, such as land, by using pipes or other man-made equipment

1 cholera   

n.霍乱

参考例句：

• The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
• Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

2 microscopic   

adj.微小的，细微的，极小的，显微的

参考例句：

• It's impossible to read his microscopic handwriting.不可能看清他那极小的书写字迹。
• A plant's lungs are the microscopic pores in its leaves.植物的肺就是其叶片上微细的气孔。

3 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

4 pollutants   

污染物质（尤指工业废物）( pollutant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Pollutants are constantly being released into the atmosphere. 污染物质正在不断地被排放到大气中去。
• The 1987 Amendments limit 301(g) discharges to a few well-studied nonconventional pollutants. 1987年的修正案把第301条（g）的普通排放限制施加在一些认真研究过的几种非常规污染物上。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 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。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

9 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。