VOA慢速英语2021--新加坡将废水转化为饮用水

The government of Singapore has created a highly developed system that turns wastewater into drinking water.

The system involves a network of tunnels and high-technology treatment centers.

Reused wastewater can now meet 40 percent of Singapore's water demand. The country's water agency says it expects to meet 55 percent of Singapore's water demand by the year 2060.

Most of the water is used for microchip manufacturing centers and cooling systems in buildings. But some of it is added to the country's drinking water supplies.

The system helps reduce ocean pollution, as only a small amount of the treated water is sent into the sea.

The United Nations estimates that 80 percent of the world's wastewater flows back into the oceans without being treated or reused.

Singapore has few natural water sources. The island nation has long had to depend mostly on supplies from neighboring Malaysia.

Low Pei Chin is chief engineer of the water reclamation¹ department of the Public Utilities Board. She told reporters with Agence France-Press, "Singapore lacks natural resources, and it is limited in space, which is why we are always looking for ways to explore water sources and stretch our water supply."

One major plan is to "collect every drop" and "reuse endlessly," she added.

The Changi Water Reclamation Plant on Singapore's eastern coast is the main part of the country's recycling system.

Parts of the water treatment center are underground. Wastewater enters the center through a 48-kilometer tunnel that is linked to sewers³.

The center contains a large system of steel pipes, tubes, tanks, cleaning systems and other machinery⁴. It can treat up to 900 million liters of wastewater a day.

In one building, a network of air flow systems has been put in place to keep the air smelling as fresh as possible.

Waste that arrives at the plant goes through a cleaning process before powerful pumps send it flowing to areas above ground for more treatment.

There, the treated water receives additional cleaning. Bacteria and viruses are removed through highly developed cleaning processes and disinfected with ultraviolet⁵ radiation.

Singapore is also in the process of expanding its recycling system.

The country will add another underground tunnel and a major water treatment center to serve the western half of the island. Officials expect work on the center to be completed by 2025.

By the time the expansion is finished, Singapore will have spent about $7.4 billion on its water treatment systems.

Words in This Story

reclamation – n. the act or process of recovering; the state of being recovered

sewer² – n. a usually covered drain to carry off water and waste

tunnel – n. a passage that goes under the ground, through a hill, etc.

ultraviolet – adj. used to describe rays of light that cannot be seen and that are slightly shorter than the rays of violet light

1 reclamation   

n.开垦；改造；（废料等的）回收

参考例句：

• We should encourage reclamation and recycling.我们应当鼓励废物的回收和利用。
• The area is needed for a land reclamation project.一个土地开垦项目要在这一地区进行。

2 sewer   

n.排水沟，下水道

参考例句：

• They are tearing up the street to repair a sewer. 他们正挖开马路修下水道。
• The boy kicked a stone into the sewer. 那个男孩把一石子踢进了下水道。

3 sewers   

n.阴沟，污水管，下水道( sewer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sewers discharge out at sea. 下水道的污水排入海里。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Another municipal waste problem is street runoff into storm sewers. 有关都市废水的另外一个问题是进入雨水沟的街道雨水。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

4 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

5 ultraviolet   

adj.紫外线的；n.紫外线

参考例句：

• It's called ultraviolet rays.它被叫做紫外线。
• The sun's ultraviolet rays are responsible for both tanning and burning.阳光中的紫外线是皮肤晒黑和灼伤的根源。