VOA标准英语2013--Tourism, Development Threaten Burmese Lake

 

Tourism, Development Threaten Burmese Lake

Inle Lake is considered a jewel of Burma, where migrating birds, rare animal species and a handful of Burmese tribes share space around the 110 square kilometer freshwater reservoir.

Now, a steady stream of foreign tourists is arriving. And, although that means big business for some, many locals say they are losing out.

Floating tomato gardens are the primary cash crop in this area, comprising more than 60 percent of the local agriculture.

Farmer Mee Intara says he welcomes foreign visitors, but not the increased traffic.

“The constant waves from the increase in motorboats are destroying my crops on the lake," said Intara.

Adding to the problem; diesel¹ fuel from the boats, mixed with excessive amounts of pesticides² already used by the farmers, are threatening drinking supplies.

Khin Moe Khao says his family and others living on the lake’s islands say they now must fetch clean water from elsewhere.

“The people who have motor boats can go to get drinking water easily, but some of the villagers only have row boats and cannot get to the water supply so they get sick from drinking dirty water," said Khao.

As unregulated development and business moves forward, local environmentalists are also worried about an even bigger potential environmental disaster - runoff from a coal mine.

Khun Chankhe, an environmentalist with the Pa-Oh Youth Organization, says that waste from an open pit coal mine, 13 kilometers away, is ending up in Inle Lake’s watershed³, making matters worse.

“Most of the people in the villages rely on the upper Tigyit Creek⁴ use the water for their bathing and drinking and travel, so it is very dangerous for them because of the water pollution from the mining. This also affects Inle Lake," said Chankhe.

As tourism and development continue unabated, Burma’s second-largest freshwater lake - and the people that live on it - stand to lose much more. 

1 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

2 pesticides   

n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 )；除害药物

参考例句：

• vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
• There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 watershed   

n.转折点，分水岭，分界线

参考例句：

• Our marriage was at a watershed.我们的婚姻到了一个转折关头。
• It forms the watershed between the two rivers.它成了两条河流的分水岭。

4 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。