美国国家公共电台 NPR Monsoon Rains Could Devastate Rohingya Camps

 

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

The story of the Rohingya Muslims is complicated and gets more so every day. Evidence keeps emerging that Myanmar has used a campaign of terror to drive hundreds of thousands of Rohingya across the border into refugee camps in Bangladesh. They've escaped a murderous crackdown by Myanmar's military, and now, in the camps, they face other threats to their lives. NPR's Jason Beaubien visited a couple of the camps, and now he's back. Over the next few days, we're going to get a firsthand view from him of what's happening over there. Hi there, Jason.

JASON BEAUBIEN, BYLINE¹: Hey.

SHAPIRO: We've read and heard so much about this crisis. When you were actually there, what stood out to you the most?

BEAUBIEN: What just strikes you is just how big these camps are. They just go on and on. It covers 3,000 acres. You know, I've covered a lot of different crises in the past. These are just huge.

SHAPIRO: Right now, we're facing the largest refugee crisis since World War II mostly because of the Syrian civil war. And you're saying that these Rohingya camps are bigger than any of the refugee camps where Syrian refugees are being held.

BEAUBIEN: If you look at the Syrian crisis, the Zaatari camp in Jordan is the largest camp there - massive camp. You know, just - you look at it, it just goes on and on - tents. It's 80,000 people. Here, we're talking about nearly 800,000 people.

SHAPIRO: And unlike some of the other countries that house refugees, Bangladesh is extraordinarily² poor. They have almost no resources.

BEAUBIEN: Correct. And so this is a huge burden, and they're all concentrated in this one area. I'm, you know, hearing from a lot of the locals that they're getting frustrated³ with this. It's a huge problem for Bangladesh. How this is going to get worked out is a big problem.

SHAPIRO: Well, we had heard reports that there was a deal between Bangladesh and Myanmar to return some of these Rohingya Muslims back to their home country of Myanmar. What did you learn about that?

BEAUBIEN: So actually when I was there, this was supposed to start, and it was an incredibly ambitious plan to actually return all of them, to return 800,000 of them back to Myanmar. That got suspended while I was there because basically logistically they don't have the means to do it at the moment. But also you go to these camps - no one wants to go back to Myanmar. They are terrified to go back. They left because they're worried they're going to be killed.

SHAPIRO: And many of their villages were burned to the ground. What would they even go back to?

BEAUBIEN: Well, the Myanmar government has set up some camps, which actually look like - you know, they got razor wire around them. They look like concentration camps. And people have seen the pictures of these camps that the Myanmar government has set up for them, and that is another disincentive to go back. They have no desire to go back at least at this point in time to Myanmar. And so it left them as this stateless people, which they were before. Myanmar doesn't recognize them as citizens. It's been a problem that's been going on for quite some time. They don't even have passports. And now they're stuck in these refugee camps in Bangladesh.

SHAPIRO: Well, as we've said, you're going to bring us some stories over the next few days. And today's looks at the conditions in those refugee camps in Bangladesh.

BEAUBIEN: That's right. And this first piece starts - you know, I found this woman - this woman Dil Bahar. She's pumping water at the very bottom of this hill. And then she has to lug⁴ it up this incredibly steep hill up to where she actually lives. The ground is actually just sort of coming out from beneath her feet as she's kind of trying to get up there to the top.

DIL BAHAR: (Foreign language spoken).

BEAUBIEN: At the top, she says she climbs this slope four times a day to get enough water for her family. Aid officials fear that in the coming months the monsoon⁵ rains will inflict⁶ another catastrophe⁷ on these refugees.

EMMETT KEARNEY: There's not just a risk of landslides⁹, but we're expecting significant landslides.

BEAUBIEN: Emmett Kearney works on water sanitation¹⁰ and hygiene¹¹ issues for UNHCR - the United Nations High Commission for Refugees - at the camp. In addition to the soil being sandy, the refugees have stripped almost all the vegetation off the hills.

KEARNEY: You've seen here that there are a lot of these slopes that are already 40 or 45 degrees.

BEAUBIEN: Kearney's office has calculated that the hills with a slope of 45 degrees or more have an 80 percent chance of collapsing¹². The area is already so densely¹³ packed that there are few places to move these refugees to. These camps grew incredibly quickly. Crude toilets and wells were dug with little or no planning.

(CROSSTALK)

BEAUBIEN: In the Kutupalong camp, young boys bathe in a shallow stream. The kids lather¹⁴ up with soap and then do flips¹⁵ into the water. The concern is that heavy rains will flood nearby outhouses and wash raw sewage into pools like this one. Not far from the bathing boys Kearney points out a latrine that's already starting to tip backwards¹⁶.

So this one right here.

KEARNEY: Yeah. It's built on the edge of a - kind of a hill. So in the rainy season, I expect it will be compromised. It could wash away quite easily. And it's about 20, 30 feet from a hand pump.

BEAUBIEN: Workers are in the process of upgrading hundreds of pit latrines with cement holding tanks and solid cement walls. Deeper wells are being dug to try to tap into cleaner water hundreds of feet below ground. The monsoon rains tend to start in April and at their peak dump 20 to 30 inches of rain a month on this area. Kearney at UNHCR says the challenge is to provide basic sanitation to a population the size of Denver or Boston before the camps turn into a muddy mess.

KEARNEY: When you're looking at developing all the water sewage infrastructure¹⁸ from scratch in the mountains, in the hills, without road access, without many materials - tricky¹⁹.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: (Foreign language spoken).

BEAUBIEN: And it's not just aid groups working on toilets and drinking water that are worried about the coming rains. Officials with Doctors Without Borders, which run several health facilities in and around the camps, say they're very concerned about the monsoons²⁰.

MARCELLA KRAAY: It's already difficult to walk around. I mean, the biggest part of the camp is only accessible on foot.

BEAUBIEN: Marcella Kraay is the project coordinator²¹ for Doctors Without Borders in Kutupalong.

KRAAY: When it's going to be slippery and muddy and with landslides and stuff, it's going to be near impossible.

BEAUBIEN: The refugees aren't officially allowed to work in Bangladesh, so they depend primarily on international food aid to survive. But distributing those rations²² in the muck could become logistically difficult. And Kraay says additional disease outbreaks are nearly inevitable²³.

KRAAY: With flooding going on, waterborne diseases, you know, is something that we're expecting and trying to prepare for next. Acute watery²⁴ diarrhea is, you know - like I almost want to say it's not if but when.

BEAUBIEN: Any new outbreaks would come on top of all the other medical issues that Doctors Without Borders is already trying to address at this bustling²⁵ hospital. Their facility in Kutupalong has an entire ward¹⁷ filled with malnourished children. Their outpatient clinic treats colds and cuts and broken bones. The pediatric ward is packed to capacity.

KRAAY: You see that we try to really keep our - the number of patients per bed to one, but it's not always possible even.

BEAUBIEN: A diphtheria outbreak, which has sickened thousands in the camps and claimed nearly three dozen lives, highlights another risk facing the Rohingya - a lack of vaccinations²⁶. In Myanmar, the long-persecuted Rohingya minority had very little access to health care, and many never got common childhood vaccinations. Kraay says the conditions in the camp are a recipe for disaster.

KRAAY: If you're standing²⁷ on one of the hills, every direction you look at, it just is these mountains beyond mountains of shelters with many people living in them. These are not conditions that are, you know, sustainable and definitely not healthy.

BEAUBIEN: And the problem here, Ari, is that these conditions are now in the dry season. The monsoon rains are coming. There's great concern that this densely populated camp - in particular if there's a disease outbreak or a landslide⁸, it's going to be very hard to get to those people and help them out.

SHAPIRO: Wow. Well, give us a preview of your story tomorrow. What are we going to be hearing about?

BEAUBIEN: So tomorrow, we're going to focus on one woman. She just found out she's pregnant and sort of talks a bit about why she left, what she misses about Myanmar but why she also says there's no way she's going to go back.

SHAPIRO: NPR's Jason Beaubien, thanks a lot.

BEAUBIEN: You're welcome.

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 extraordinarily   

adv.格外地；极端地

参考例句：

• She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
• The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨，大海出奇地宁静。

3 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 lug   

n.柄，突出部，螺帽；(英）耳朵；（俚）笨蛋；vt.拖，拉，用力拖动

参考例句：

• Nobody wants to lug around huge suitcases full of clothes.谁都不想拖着个装满衣服的大箱子到处走。
• Do I have to lug those suitcases all the way to the station?难道非要我把那些手提箱一直拉到车站去吗？

5 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。

6 inflict   

vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担

参考例句：

• Don't inflict your ideas on me.不要把你的想法强加于我。
• Don't inflict damage on any person.不要伤害任何人。

7 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。

8 landslide   

n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利

参考例句：

• Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
• An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。

9 landslides   

山崩( landslide的名词复数 )； （山坡、悬崖等的）崩塌； 滑坡； （竞选中）一方选票占压倒性多数

参考例句：

• Landslides have cut off many villages in remote areas. 滑坡使边远地区的许多村庄与外界隔绝。
• The storm caused landslides and flooding in Savona. 风暴致使萨沃纳发生塌方和洪灾。

10 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

11 hygiene   

n.健康法，卫生学 （a.hygienic）

参考例句：

• Their course of study includes elementary hygiene and medical theory.他们的课程包括基础卫生学和医疗知识。
• He's going to give us a lecture on public hygiene.他要给我们作关于公共卫生方面的报告。

12 collapsing   

压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The rocks were folded by collapsing into the center of the trough. 岩石由于坍陷进入凹槽的中心而发生褶皱。

13 densely   

ad.密集地；浓厚地

参考例句：

• A grove of trees shadowed the house densely. 树丛把这幢房子遮蔽得很密实。
• We passed through miles of densely wooded country. 我们穿过好几英里茂密的林地。

14 lather   

n.(肥皂水的)泡沫，激动

参考例句：

• Soap will not lather in sea-water.肥皂在海水里不起泡沫。
• He always gets in a lather when he has an argument with his wife.当他与妻子发生争论时他总是很激动。

15 flips   

轻弹( flip的第三人称单数 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥

参考例句：

• Larry flips on the TV while he is on vacation in Budapest. 赖瑞在布达佩斯渡假时，打开电视收看节目。
• He flips through a book before making a decision. 他在决定买下一本书前总要先草草翻阅一下。

16 backwards   

adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地

参考例句：

• He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
• All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。

17 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

18 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。

19 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

20 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

21 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

22 rations   

定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量

参考例句：

• They are provisioned with seven days' rations. 他们得到了7天的给养。
• The soldiers complained that they were getting short rations. 士兵们抱怨他们得到的配给不够数。

23 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

24 watery   

adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的

参考例句：

• In his watery eyes there is an expression of distrust.他那含泪的眼睛流露出惊惶失措的神情。
• Her eyes became watery because of the smoke.因为烟熏，她的双眼变得泪汪汪的。

25 bustling   

adj.喧闹的

参考例句：

• The market was bustling with life. 市场上生机勃勃。
• This district is getting more and more prosperous and bustling. 这一带越来越繁华了。

26 vaccinations   

n.种痘，接种( vaccination的名词复数 )；牛痘疤

参考例句：

• Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时，我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》

27 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。