VOA标准英语2009-German Rights Group Says Oil Company Spoilin

By Alan Boswell
Nairobi
16 November 2009

A German human rights group reports an oil company in southern Sudan is contaminating drinking water. The group warns that if left unchecked the pollution could lead to an ecological¹ catastrophe² in one of the world's largest swamplands.

 
In this undated photo released by Salva Dut shows a young boy drinking water from a well in Sudan 
The group Sign of Hope took water samples around two main oil fields in southern Sudan's Unity³ state, after locals complained the water was salty and no longer drinkable.

Tested samples showed the drinking water found in nearby villages chemically matched the contaminated water coming from the oil field's central processing facility.

Vice⁴ chairman of the group, Klaus Stieglitz, estimated up to 300,000 southern Sudanese may be affected⁵.

"In many villages in the vicinity of the oil facilities, locals are not able to drink the water anymore," said Stieglitz. "Locals who drink this kind of water can get diarrhea and the subsequent dehydration⁶ of the body, which might lead to death in those areas if left untreated."

The group first took samples in February 2008 and the six-day field visit this month was the fourth to the area.

The White Nile Petroleum⁷ Operating Company consortium runs production in two oil fields, Mala and Thar Jath. The Malaysian company Petronas is the largest shareholder⁸ in the consortium, but Swedish, Indian, and state-owned petroleum companies also hold significant stakes.

The company has not responded to the Sign of Hope group. But it is apparently⁹ aware of the problem as it has begun shipping¹⁰ truckloads of Nile water for one of the affected villages, a solution decried¹¹ by the human rights group as nearsighted and unacceptable.

An inquiry¹² sent to the Sudan president's office has also not received a reply. The group says the health ministry¹³ of southern Sudan's Unity state welcomed the findings, saying it lacked the capacity to engage in such tests itself.

Sign of Hope is also raising alarm that oil could spill into the nearby Sudd swamp, an immense area of wetlands sourced from the White Nile.

"Remember that these two oil fields are located very closely to the Sudd," added Stieglitz. "So it is just a couple-hundred meters to the Sudd, which is one of the largest swamplands in the world. We just can not imagine what would happen if a kind of oil destruction would come over the Sudd, not only because of the people in the first line, but in the second line because of the ecological damage."

The oil wealth found underneath¹⁴ the soil in parts of southern Sudan helped fuel a decades-long civil war between northern and southern Sudan. The conflict ceased after a landmark¹⁵ 2005 peace agreement between the two sides, but relations are still tense between the now-government partners.

Southern Sudan has been given its own semi-autonomous government, and is to receive a 50-percent cut of all oil revenue produced from southern oil fields under the peace deal. But the southern government has almost no say over the oil production in its territory, as oil companies must deal directly with Khartoum and oil pipelines¹⁶ all lead through the North.

A recent report suggested the Sudanese government has been fudging the numbers of oil production in the South, enraging¹⁷ southern officials.

The German organization says it has not conducted research around other Sudanese oil fields to see if other populations might be similarly affected. Sign of Hope has been operating in Sudan for 14 years.

1 ecological   

adj.生态的，生态学的

参考例句：

• The region has been declared an ecological disaster zone.这个地区已经宣布为生态灾难区。
• Each animal has its ecological niche.每种动物都有自己的生态位.

2 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。

3 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

4 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 dehydration   

n.脱水，干燥

参考例句：

• He died from severe dehydration.他死于严重脱水。
• The eyes are often retracted from dehydration.眼睛常因脱水而凹陷。

7 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

8 shareholder   

n.股东，股票持有人

参考例句：

• The account department have prepare a financial statement for the shareholder.财务部为股东准备了一份财务报表。
• A shareholder may transfer his shares in accordance with the law.股东持有的股份可以依法转让。

9 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

10 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

11 decried   

v.公开反对，谴责( decry的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The measures were decried as useless. 这些措施受到指责，说是不起作用。
• The old poet decried the mediocrity of today's writing. 老诗人抨击了现代文体的平庸无奇。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

12 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

13 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

14 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

15 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

16 pipelines   

管道( pipeline的名词复数 )； 输油管道； 在考虑（或规划、准备） 中； 在酿中

参考例句：

• The oil is carried to the oil refinery by pipelines. 石油通过输油管输送到炼油厂。
• The oil carried in pipelines. 石油用管道输送。

17 enraging   

使暴怒( enrage的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The effrontery of his deceptions inside and outside the conference room could be enraging. 他在会议室内外放肆的欺骗手段简直令人怒火中烧。
• It buffeted the beasts, enraging them. 它打击着那些野兽，激怒着它们。