太阳能路灯提高了印度村庄的生活质量

Solar Street Lights Improve Quality of Life in Indian Villages

A government program in India helps provide solar-powered street lights to rural¹ communities.

Solar lighting² is bringing changes to many areas, including the village of Balla, near the Himalayas in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh.

In the past, many villagers never left homes after the sun went down. The reason: the streets usually went completely dark at night.

“We used to be scared. This is a lonely area and wild animals used to come,” villager Umesh Chandra Awasthi told VOA.

But life changed a lot in this rural community after solar-powered lamps were set up on Balla’s streets. “Now we have a free pass to go outdoors after dark. Animals, even pigs that wandered into our gardens, don’t trouble us any longer,” Awasthi said.

The addition of the lamps is part of a government program to expand solar energy in rural areas. Most people living in rural and mountainous areas have limited access to the main electrical system.

The program was launched³ three years ago with the goal of adding tens of thousands of solar-powered street lights. Today the lamps are found in hundreds of villages in the northern Himalayas, as well as poor, underdeveloped states like Bihar and Jharkhand in India’s east.

Nationwide about 240 million people lack access to dependable power supplies because of operational⁴ issues, inability to pay or other reasons.

Government incentives⁶ have made solar energy more appealing for local communities because of its low cost. The government pays 90 percent of the cost of the solar lights, which cost $350 a piece. People in the villages make up the difference.

Surender Dhiman is a project officer for Himachal Pradesh’s energy agency⁷, which oversees⁸ the program. He says the lamps have become popular in villages that did not have street lighting before. He added that people are now going out after dark because they feel safer.

Solar lights are also popular because once the lights are paid for, there are no other costs for villagers or officials to worry about.

The lighting also helps in India’s mountains, where power outages are common.

“Due to frequent storms, conventional⁹ power lines often go down, and sometimes lights are out for long stretches while repair work carries on,” villager Ajay Awasthi said. “Now even during outages, the solar lights keep the area lit.”

With a newfound sense of security¹⁰, women are now going out after dark and some mothers are letting their children go, too.

“Now my children can play outside in the courtyard,” said Shivani Sharma, a mother of a young son and daughter. “If they have examinations¹¹ and there is no light, they can even study outside,” she added.

The solar street lighting is proving so popular that many people now want solar equipment where they live to light up their homes. The villagers say such equipment could especially help needy¹² families who often keep lights off at home to save money.

It remains¹³ to be seen whether government-supported housetop solar collectors will someday become a reality in Balla. For now, the villagers are happy to enjoy a new kind of freedom created by light.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

solar – adj. related¹⁴ to the sun

scared – adj. frightened or worried

access – n. the right or availability to do or see something

incentive⁵ – n. something that influences someone to act in a particular way

conventional – adj. based on what is generally done or believed

courtyard – n. an area that is mostly enclosed by the walls of a large building or several buildings

1 rural   

adj.乡下的，田园的，乡村风味的

参考例句：

• He lived a rural life.他过着田园生活。
• We left the city for a rural home.我们离开城市，去农村安家。

2 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

3 launched   

v.发射( launch的过去式和过去分词 )；[计算机]开始（应用程序）；发动；开展（活动、计划等）

参考例句：

• He launched a bitter diatribe against the younger generation. 他对年轻一代发起了猛烈的抨击。
• The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide. 这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。

4 operational   

adj.运转的，即可使用的；操作上的

参考例句：

• The airport did not become operational until May.机场到五月才可使用。
• The whole system will be fully operational by December 1995.整个系统到1995年12月将可全面投入使用。

5 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

6 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

7 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

8 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

9 conventional   

adj.普通的，常规的；符合习俗的，因循守旧的

参考例句：

• After a conventional opening remarks,he made a brilliant speech.在一个常规的开场白后，他做了个很精彩的演讲。
• It is simpler and quicker to use than conventional methods.这比通常的做法更简单、更快捷。

10 security   

n.安全，安全感；防护措施；保证(金)，抵押(品)；债券，证券

参考例句：

• A security guard brought him down with a flying tackle.一名保安人员飞身把他抱倒。
• There was tight security at the airport when the President's plane landed.总统的专机降落时，机场的保安措施很严密。

11 examinations   

n.检查( examination的名词复数 )；考试；考查；试题

参考例句：

• He had been forced to incriminate himself in cross-examinations. 他在盘问中被迫受到牵连。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Examinations are hanging over her head—that's why she can't sleep at nights. 她大脑里想的都是考试，所以晚上无法入睡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

13 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

14 related   

adj.有关系的，有关联的，叙述的，讲述的

参考例句：

• I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
• We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。