《外刊解读》岭南嘉荔

1、英国水资源短缺

　　【1】Bans on filling public swimming pools,
　　maintaining ponds, washing cars and cleaning offices
　　and shops could be put in place as England continues
　　to run out of water .Despite recent showery periods,
　　the country, particularly the south and east, has not
　　received enough rain to refill depleted rivers and
　　reservoirs.Leaked documents from the National
　　drought Group, seen by the Guardian, say that nonessential use bans are being considered by some
　　water companies.The group is made up of government
　　bodies, NGOs and water companies, and together they
　　decide how to tackle drought conditions.Hosepipe
　　bans remain in place throughout much of the country,
　　including in Yorkshire, London and large swathes of
　　the south and southeast of England.
　　由于英国的水资源持续短缺，政府可能会出台禁止向公共游泳
　　池注水、维护池塘、洗车以及清洁办公室和商店的禁令。尽管
　　最近有阵雨，但英国，尤其是南部和东部地区，仍然没有足够
　　的降雨来补充枯竭的河流和水库。《卫报》看到的国家抗旱组
　　织泄露的文件称，一些水务公司正在考虑禁止非必要用水。该
　　组织由政府机构、非政府组织和水务公司组成，他们共同决定
　　如何应对干旱问题。软水管禁令在英国大部分地区仍然有效，
　　包括约克郡、伦敦和英国南部和东南部的大片地区。
　　【2】The next step, which could be put in place this
　　month, would be to ban all non-essential use of water.
　　This would include a bar on washing vehicles and
　　non-domestic buildings, as well as bans on filling
　　bodies of water including swimming pools and ponds.
　　This is a relatively drastic measure that has not been
　　put in place during recent droughts. In 1976, after 16
　　months of low rainfall, the government told
　　households to cut their water use by half. The
　　document reveals that companies looking to apply for
　　further drought orders in September include South
　　West Water, Southern Water, Yorkshire Water, South
　　East Water, Severn Trent Water and Thames Water.
　　Such drastic measures might need to be put in place
　　to protect public water supply, which could be at risk
　　if dry conditions continue.
　　下一步可能会在本月实施，即禁止所有非必要的用水。这将包
　　括禁止清洁车辆和非住宅建筑，以及禁止向游泳池和池塘等水
　　体注水。这是一项相对严厉的措施，在最近的干旱期间并没有
　　实施。1976年，在经历了16个月的低降雨量后，政府要求家庭
　　将用水量减半。文件显示，希望在9月份申请进一步抗旱订单
　　的公司包括西南水务公司、南方水务公司、约克郡水务公司、
　　东南水务公司、塞文特伦特水务公司和泰晤士水务公司。这些
　　严厉的措施可能需要落实到位，以保护公共供水，如果干旱状
　　况持续下去，公共供水可能面临风险。
　　【3】The leaked minutes reveal that experts do not
　　expect there to be sufficient rain to mitigate the dry
　　weather .They say: “The [three-month] outlook showsa
　　risk of dry conditions continuing in the south and
　　east of the UK, with little sign of the rainfall needed
　　to end current drought conditions .”Farmers were
　　represented at the National drought Group meeting
　　by the National Farmers’ Union, which warned those
　　present that “many have little or no water left” and
　　that many crops had been significantly affected by the
　　lack of rain. They said some growers were sacrificing
　　some crops to save others, with yields reduced.
　　泄露的会议记录显示，专家预计不会有足够的降雨来缓解干旱
　　天气。他们说：“未来三个月的前景显示，英国南部和东部的
　　干旱状况可能会持续下去，几乎没有迹象明确结束目前的干旱
　　状况所需的降雨量。”全国农民联盟代表农民出席了全国干旱
　　小组会议，该联盟警告与会人员，“许多水资源已经所剩无
　　几”，许多作物都受到了干旱的严重影响。他们称，一些种植
　　者牺牲一些作物来拯救其他作物，导致产量下降。
　　【4】When rivers and reservoirs run low , water
　　companies abstract from aquifers, but these are also
　　running dry, with little sign of them being
　　“recharged” with rain ready for next year.The latest
　　outlook from the UK centre for ecology and hydrology
　　states: “Groundwater levels in September are likely to
　　be normal to below normal across northern aquifer
　　areas, and below normal further south (with
　　exceptionally low levels persisting in some
　　boreholes). “The three-month outlook suggests a
　　similar picture, but with levels tending towards
　　normal, away from the far south, although there is
　　much uncertainty looking ahead into the recharge
　　season.”
　　当河流和水库水位下降时，供水公司从含水层中抽取水，但这
　　些含水层也在干涸，几乎没有迹象表明它们正在“补充”雨水，
　　从而为明年做好准备。英国生态和水文中心的最新展望指
　　出：“9月份，北部含水层地区的地下水位可能处于正常至低
　　于正常水平之间，而南部地区可能低于正常水平(一些钻孔中
　　的水位持续异常低)。未来三个月的展望显示出了类似的情
　　况，但在远离南部的地区，水位趋于正常，尽管未来的充电季
　　有很多不确定性。”
　　【5】This year, parts of England have experienced
　　the driest conditions in nearly a century, with most of
　　the country officially in drought. Eleven of the 14
　　Environment Agency areas have been given drought
　　status, meaning there are concerns over water supply.
　　The extremely hot and dry conditions have hit crops,
　　fuelled wildfires and led to a large increase in
　　demand for water, with impacts on the environment
　　including rivers and ponds drying out, and fish and
　　other wildlife dying or suffering.The problem is
　　hitting the whole of Europe; almost half of the 27-
　　country EU is under a drought warning, with
　　conditions worsening in several countries.Water UK,
　　which represents the water companies, declined to
　　comment.
　　今年，英国部分地区经历了近一个世纪以来最干旱的情况，该
　　国大部分地区正式处于干旱状态。环境署的14个地区中有11个
　　地区已被列为干旱地区，这意味着供水问题令人担忧。极端炎
　　热和干燥的条件影响了农作物，引发了野火，导致对水的需求
　　大幅增加，对环境造成了影响，包括河流和池塘干涸，鱼类和
　　其他野生动物死亡或遭受痛苦。这个问题正在冲击整个欧
　　洲；在欧盟27个成员国中，几乎有一半处于干旱预警状态，
　　其中几个国家的情况正在恶化。水务公司代表——英国水协
　　拒绝对此情况置评。