美国国家公共电台 NPR--As Pakistan's monsoon season nears, some villages are underwater from earlier floods

As Pakistan's monsoon¹ season nears, some villages are underwater from earlier floods

Transcript²

NPR's Leila Fadel talks to IRC Pakistan chief Shabnam Baloch about recovery efforts from floods that submerged a third of the country, killed more than 1,700 people and displaced seven million.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Pakistan is still recovering from massive floods that killed more than 1,700 people last year. Shabnam Baloch recalls seeing villages underwater. Some people fled, but those who stayed...

SHABNAM BALOCH: They were living on the rooftops of their houses without water, without food. And you could see a lot of animals' bodies everywhere, you know?

FADEL: Baloch is the Pakistan country director for the International Rescue Committee. The organization says the floods caused $40 billion in economic damage. I spoke³ with her as another monsoon season approaches.

BALOCH: Still, there are villages which are under water. We visited village - villages in district Dadu, which was the - one of the hardest-hit district. And in some villages, water is still standing⁴ there.

FADEL: Wait, months later?

BALOCH: Yes, months later, because since the topography is like a plain land and it is very difficult to drain that water because there's nowhere else where the water can go. And people are living in surroundings, which means that they don't have clean water to drink. So imagine these were the conditions.

FADEL: What are the impacts today that people are still suffering through?

BALOCH: It's still 1.8 million people are living in this condition, like, you know, in the surroundings where water is still standing. So 1.8 million people are still there. Even before flood, the health infrastructure⁵ was collapsed⁶ due to COVID-19. And even before COVID-19, it was like, you know, one doctor for 1,300 people and six bed per hospital for 10,000 people. So after flood, when the health infrastructure is damaged, there is no alternate to people. At the moment, the priority is livelihoods⁷ - restoring livelihoods.

FADEL: If you could just give me a sense of the amount of loss - loss of life, cost of damage - from this flood.

BALOCH: There were 1,700 people who lost their lives. And when it comes to homes, there are over 2 million houses which were lost, only in Sindh specifically. And to our greatest fear, there are predictions that this monsoon, which is around the corner - in end of May, we start the monsoon - there are 70% chances of flood this year as well. And we are in no capacity to respond to these floods.

FADEL: What has the Pakistani government been able to do? What has the international community been able to do?

BALOCH: Not much, really. But when it comes to reconstructing their houses or water schemes or infrastructure, it is still - there's no progress at the moment. It will take time, maybe one year or two year.

FADEL: But you're talking about monsoons⁸ coming again, again predicted to be higher than average.

BALOCH: That's true.

FADEL: What does the country need right now to deal with what might be coming and what it's already been through?

BALOCH: The international community really needs to come forward. Catastrophe⁹ of this scale, no single country can face it. Even now, we talk about 10 billion in pledges. Ninety percent is loan money - credit and loan - which cannot help at this stage, when Pakistan is already in economic crisis. So I think this is a time when international community come forward and also commit in terms of investing in climate-resilient infrastructure and disaster preparedness. This is the area where we have not invested at all.

FADEL: How many people don't have enough to eat in Pakistan right now, especially as a direct result of these floods and increasing prices?

BALOCH: Overall, 5 million people are in emergency phase of food crisis situation, which is more or less near to the situation of Somalia, where 5.3 million people are having this situation.

FADEL: Shabnam Baloch is the International Rescue Committee's Pakistan director. Thank you so much for your time.

BALOCH: Thank you so much.

(SOUNDBITE OF TUNDRA BEATS' "LOST")

1 monsoon   

n.季雨，季风，大雨

参考例句：

• The monsoon rains started early this year.今年季雨降雨开始得早。
• The main climate type in that region is monsoon.那个地区主要以季风气候为主要气候类型。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 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。

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

6 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

7 livelihoods   

生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。

8 monsoons   

n.（南亚、尤指印度洋的）季风( monsoon的名词复数 )；（与季风相伴的）雨季；（南亚地区的）雨季

参考例句：

• In Ban-gladesh, the monsoons have started. 在孟加拉，雨季已经开始了。 来自辞典例句
• The coastline significantly influences the monsoons in two other respects. 海岸线在另外两个方面大大地影响季风。 来自辞典例句

9 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。