VOA双语新闻：6、非洲重视世界水资源论坛（在线收听）

非洲重视世界水资源论坛

African ministers say water is vital to improving health and economic development on the continent. Africa placed high on the agenda at the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille, France, March 12-17.

非洲国家部长说，水对于改进非洲大陆的健康和经济起着十分重要的作用。在法国马赛举行的第六届世界水资源论坛上，非洲问题成为了会议的重点。

Bai-Mas Taal is the executive secretary of the African Ministers’ Council on Water, also known as AMCOW. He said African nations are committed to clean water and sanitation.

非洲水事部长理事会执行秘书白马斯.塔尔说，非洲各国致力于清洁水源和卫生条件。

“We are putting up the economic case – investment in water – how it helps in the development of a nation. That water is the driving force for economic development,” he said.

他说：“我们把投资水源作为经济手段，看看这是否可以帮助一个国家的经济发展。因为水是经济发展的动力。”

Taal said there was a time when African governments were hesitant about investing in water and sanitation. They didn’t see what the return on investment would be. That’s changed.

塔尔说，一段时间以来，非洲国家政府在投资水资源和卫生方面犹豫不决。他们不知道投资回报如何。这种情况已经发生了改变。

“The heads of state have committed themselves to building the infrastructure of Africa - to move the economic growth rate of Africa from four to six percent to 12 percent by 2040. To do that, they have developed an infrastructure program for the development of Africa,” he said.

他说： “各国首脑已经保证致力于建设非洲的基础设施，力图将非洲的经济发展从4%拉升到6%，进而争取在2040年提高到12%的水平。为了能实现这个目标，各国制订了基础设施项目，以便推进非洲的发展。”

Good investment

He said investing one dollar in water can bring a return of $4 to $12 in benefits. One of the benefits is better health.

塔尔说，为水源投资一美元，就可以获得4到12美元的收益。其中一个收益就是民众可以享受更好的健康条件。

“We know that in Africa over 60 percent of hospital beds are occupied with patients with water borne diseases. So if you invest in water and give them clean water, you are going to reduce your medical bill. Because they are not having clean water. They are drinking contaminated water from boreholes, from wells that are not treated. So, give them clean water then you will reduce the medical bill,” he said.

他说：“我们知道，在非洲，超过60%的病人住院都是因为饮水导致的疾病。因此如果投资水源，让民众有洁净的饮水，医疗方面的开支就会减少。因为没有洁净水源，他们只能挖坑引用污染的水，喝从井里打来没有处理过的水。因此为民众提供洁净水源，你就可以减少在医疗方面的花费。”

Clean water and sanitation also mean more children in school.

有了洁净饮水和卫生条件，就意味着更多的孩子可以上学。

“The children and girl child, they are not going to school because they are going every day kilometers and kilometers to fetch water. But of you provide water at the village level they don’t have to go those kilometers to fetch water. Then they can go to school and become more productive in the future,” he said.

塔阿说：“孩子们特别是女孩子不能上学，是因为有些孩子每天要走好几公里，到很远的地方去取水。一旦在各个村庄提供水源后，他们就不用再走出这么远的路程去取水了。这样他们就都有时间去上学了。有了知识，将来他们的生活也会更有成效。”

Taal added irrigation can play a major role in ensuring food security and development.

塔尔说，引水灌溉在食品安全和经济发展方面发挥主要的作用。

“If you depend on raid-fed agriculture in West Africa or Sahelian countries, it rains between two and three months and you don’t even know when the rains are coming. Sometimes they start, you plant, and the rains do not come for 3 weeks. All your seeds die. So, telling them that you need to lift the water from the ground or from the rivers by building infrastructure to water those plants. Once you do that you’ll have revenue from those agricultural products,” he said.

他说：“在西非或者萨赫勒地区的国家，如果靠天吃饭，雨季只有两三个月，而没人知道什么时候可能下雨。有的时候雨水来了，你也播种了，但随后3个星期没有雨水，种子也都枯死了。因此重要的是告诉民众，要兴建基础设施，从地下取水，从远处的河流中引水灌溉，方便农业。一旦有利水利保障，农业生产就会带来收获，有了粮食就有能富裕。”

As for non-agriculture business, Taal said Coca Cola, Nestle and Africa’s beer breweries have been working to use water more efficiently. He says in South African bars, for example, the price of a drink depends on the cost of water used to make ice.

至于非农业生产，塔尔说，像可口可乐、雀巢咖啡、非洲啤酒厂等都在更加有效地利用水源。他说在南非的酒吧中，一杯饮料的价格要看其中的冰块是什么水制成的。

African heads of state, ministers and other officials have endorsed a position paper for the water forum.

非洲国家的领导人、各国部长和其他官员都赞成这次论坛形成的文件。

“Commit ourselves to mobilize the required resources and commit all necessary efforts to achieve the MDGs, goal targets, for water supply and sanitation in Africa,” said Taal.

塔尔说“我们致力于动员一切所需的资源，利用所有必须的努力来达到千年发展目标，为非洲人民带来水源供应，提供卫生环境。”

He said Africa’s message was heard loud and clear at the World Water Forum.

他说非洲国家大声清楚的呼声在世界水资源论坛上展现得十分明白。

“Africa came here and Africa has made its voice heard. And Africa has come out with solutions that we take back to the continent and implement so that water will be available to our people,” he said.

他说：“非洲来到了这次论坛，非洲的声音清楚地表现了出来。非洲带着解决方案来到这里，表明我们要在非洲土地上作主，要付诸行动，让水源服务于我们的人民。”

Currently, Taal says, 340 million Africans do not have access to clean water and 500 million do not have access to decent sanitation. He says African nations are working hard to change that.

塔尔说，目前非洲有3亿4000万人没有洁净水喝，5亿人没有像样的卫生条件。他说非洲国家在努力改变这种状况。