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Kenya Herders Look for Water Underground

时间:2022-11-28 00:34:00

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(单词翻译)

Letoyie Leroshi walked for five days in search of water. The rivers in Samburu County, Kenya, were dry after three years of little rain.

Then, Leroshi, a cow herder, found a small wet area of sand on a dry river bottom. He brought a group of fellow herders to the site to help dig. They hit water, and the young men broke into a happy song.

This water, known as groundwater, could be very helpful in an area dealing1 with a long period of too little water, or drought.

Drought, groundwater

Climate change is making drought more likely. And people in East Africa and the Horn of Africa do not have the resources to tap groundwater effectively or widely.

For Leroshi and other Kenyan herders, the situation is difficult.

"We had thousands of livestock2 four years ago when we experienced short rains," he said. "We have lost hundreds of our cattle and are now worried that if the rains fail yet again, we will lose everything."

Leroshi and other herdsmen carry weapons to protect their animals from thieves.

"Everyone else around is also armed and ready to steal our livestock," he said.

The United Nations water agency estimates that roughly 400 million people across Africa lack access to clean water.

The British nonprofit group WaterAid and the British Geological Survey examined the situation. They found that Africa has enough groundwater for most countries to get through at least five years of drought.

In the coastal3 city of Dar es Salaam4 in Tanzania in 1997 drought led people to use groundwater. The same thing happened in Cape5 Town, South Africa in 2017. In Ethiopia, hand-pumped wells performed better than all other water sources during a drought in 2015 and 2016.

Africa has 72 large underground areas of water, known as aquifers6, that are largely unused, scientists say.

Cautionary tales

Experts also warn people about the danger of misusing7 groundwater.

Philip Wandera is a former director of the Kenya Wildlife Service and now with the Catholic University of Eastern Africa. He said groundwater "is not a quick-fix answer for the current drought ... if you have been poor managers of surface water, it means you are likely to do the same with groundwater."

The U.N. reports that just three percent of the total farmed land in sub-Saharan Africa is irrigated9. It says only 5 percent of that land is irrigated with groundwater.

Groundwater exploration and building projects are impossible without financing.

Agnes Kalibata, leader of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, said, "Smallholder farmers who make up most food producers on the continent," badly need irrigation technology.

"Millions of people don't have enough safe, clean water to meet their daily needs, let alone face the climate crisis," said Tim Wainwright of WaterAid in the United Kingdom. He added, "Governments, along with the private sector10, should use COP27 to agree on investments in responsible groundwater use," along with clear rules for how to use it.

COP27 is the UN Climate Change Conference taking place in Sharm al-Sheikh, Egypt.

The people in Samburu, however, cannot wait much longer. Many herders are almost at the point of losing everything.

"I have lost 30 cows in ... two weeks and if it continues like this we will lose many more. Our women and children are also severely11 affected," said 30-year-old herder Lemerwas Limayo. "Drought ravages13 all living things."

Words in This Story

herder –n. A person how takes care of a group of animals such as cattle, sheep, etc.

livestock – n. farm animals (such as cows, horses, and pigs) that are kept, raised, and used by people

well – n. a deep hole made in the ground through which water can be removed

irrigate8 – v. to supply (something, such as land) with water by using artificial means (such as pipes)

ravage12 – v. to damage or harm (something) very badly


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1 dealing NvjzWP     
n.经商方法,待人态度
参考例句:
  • This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
  • His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。
2 livestock c0Wx1     
n.家畜,牲畜
参考例句:
  • Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
  • The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。
3 coastal WWiyh     
adj.海岸的,沿海的,沿岸的
参考例句:
  • The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
  • This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。
4 salaam bYyxe     
n.额手之礼,问安,敬礼;v.行额手礼
参考例句:
  • And the people were so very friendly:full of huge beaming smiles,calling out "hello" and "salaam".这里的人民都很友好,灿然微笑着和我打招呼,说“哈罗”和“萨拉姆”。
  • Salaam is a Muslim form of salutation.额手礼是穆斯林的问候方式。
5 cape ITEy6     
n.海角,岬;披肩,短披风
参考例句:
  • I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
  • She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。
6 aquifers 25c4600513b703affac796567751e105     
n.地下蓄水层,砂石含水层( aquifer的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • And in Africa, the aquifers barely recharge at all. 非洲的地下水开采以后几乎得不到补充。 来自时文部分
  • Aquifers have water contents over 30%. 含水层的水含过30%。 来自辞典例句
7 misusing 142193a08a0645de4073a05d1cf0ed4b     
v.使用…不当( misuse的现在分词 );把…派作不正当的用途;虐待;滥用
参考例句:
  • This means we must stop misusing them. 也就是说,我们已必须停止滥用抗菌素不可了。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 预防生物武器
  • Misusing organic fertilizer may cause a decrease in the soil's quality. 滥用有机肥料可能会导致土地的土质下降。 来自互联网
8 irrigate HRtzo     
vt.灌溉,修水利,冲洗伤口,使潮湿
参考例句:
  • The farmer dug several trenches to irrigate the rice fields.这个农民挖了好几条沟以灌溉稻田。
  • They have built canals to irrigate the desert.他们建造成水渠以灌溉沙漠。
9 irrigated d5a480a57e6b6336cbbf24f1103448d2     
[医]冲洗的
参考例句:
  • They irrigated their crops with water from this river. 他们用这条小河里的水浇庄稼。
  • A crop can be sown, weeded, irrigated, and fertilized uniformly. 一种作物可以均匀一致地进行播种,除草,灌溉和施肥。
10 sector yjczYn     
n.部门,部分;防御地段,防区;扇形
参考例句:
  • The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
  • The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。
11 severely SiCzmk     
adv.严格地;严厉地;非常恶劣地
参考例句:
  • He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
  • He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。
12 ravage iAYz9     
vt.使...荒废,破坏...;n.破坏,掠夺,荒废
参考例句:
  • Just in time to watch a plague ravage his village.恰好目睹了瘟疫毁灭了他的村庄。
  • For two decades the country has been ravaged by civil war and foreign intervention.20年来,这个国家一直被内战外侵所蹂躏。
13 ravages 5d742bcf18f0fd7c4bc295e4f8d458d8     
劫掠后的残迹,破坏的结果,毁坏后的残迹
参考例句:
  • the ravages of war 战争造成的灾难
  • It is hard for anyone to escape from the ravages of time. 任何人都很难逃避时间的摧残。

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