2006年VOA标准英语-Ivory Coast Dump Dwellers Revolt Amid Toxic Was

By Joe Bavier
Abidjan
14 September 2006

The government has resigned. Top officials have been arrested.  And around 16,000 people have sought treatment for symptoms believed linked to the illegal dumping of hundreds of tons of toxic¹ waste in Ivory Coast's main city, Abidjan. But to the residents of the village of Akouedo, the scandal that has rocked the nation is just the latest episode in a long history of misery².

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Sign reads 'forbidden zone' marking toxic waste dumped around Abidjan 
  

A grove³ of banana trees grows directly out of buried garbage, a hundred meters from the entrance to the village of Akouedo. Nearby, a child scrambles⁴ up the side of a mountain of trash, scouring⁵ the rubbish for anything usable or salable⁶.

The garbage dump, covering more than 100 hectares, is one of a dozen sites around Ivory Coast's commercial capital, Abidjan, where tanker⁷ trucks are believed to have pumped out around 528,000 liters of liquid chemical waste more than three weeks ago.
 
Despite government warnings to stay at least 200 meters away from suspected dumping sites, Paul Sieh, a village resident, says the scavengers who make their living in the landfill did not stay away for long.

"When they first started dumping, many people stopped working [in the landfill]," he noted⁸.  "They sensed something was going wrong here. But those who are having problems with their rent now, they don't know what to do. They have to come and look for something to feed their families and take care of themselves. They don't care about their lives."

A man points to an open drain where toxic waste was dumped, in an industrial zone of Abidjan  
  
On Wednesday, government health officials said nearly 16,000 people have sought medical treatment for symptoms believed to be linked to the illegal dumping of the toxic waste. Officials say it was offloaded from a ship, chartered by the Dutch-based company, Trafigura Beheer BV. Health officials say six people have died after exposure to the toxic waste.
 
The government of Prime Minister Charles Konan Banny last week resigned over the scandal.

A team of French experts, clad head-to-toe in white protective suits, and wearing gas masks, explores the site, enveloped⁹ by an overwhelming stench that stings the eyes and attacks the sinuses.

"We have discovered about a dozen sites," said one expert.  "We will have to analyze¹⁰ each one, and that could take some time. So far, we are finding sulfuric chemicals, but for the moment, we do not now how serious it is."
 
Akouedo village borders the landfill. Village leaders say there is a long history of suffering there.
 
The landfill near Akouedo opened 41 years ago. As Abidjan grew, so did the heaps of trash. It was not long before the effects were felt in the village.
 
Village leaders say among Akouedo's population of 5,000, there is only one resident over the age of 70, and only 30 have survived into their 60s.
 
The leaders say illnesses like typhoid, yellow fever and malaria¹¹ are common.

"All of us are sick," said village elder Mathieu Aguede. "We have been sick since 1965. The state has sacrificed us."
 

A local inhabitant protects his face with a piece of cloth as he pulls cart of tomatoes that were harvested in place where poisonous chemicals were dumped on open-air garbage site near Abidjan  
  
In recent years, the village has made repeated attempts to have the landfill closed. Residents have petitioned the government, and held round table talks with officials. A site was even chosen for a new dump to replace Akouedo, but was then was blocked by villagers there.
 
Others in Akouedo, like Paul Sieh, are not so willing to put the whole of the blame on the government.

"It's going to be hard," he said.  "Many times, they have started procedures to close this dump site down. But, someone always comes and talks to the village chiefs, bribes¹² them with a little money. And they can still allow them to [dump] here."

On August 19, the villagers took matters into their own hands. As the last of the tanker trucks carrying the toxic waste attempted to enter the Akouedo landfill, it was surrounded by angry local residents. Its driver fled.

But the freshly painted truck, owned by a recently created company remains¹³ parked near the entrance to the garbage dump, a symbol of Akouedo's desperate protest.
 
Barricades were quickly erected¹⁴ along the road leading to the site, and, for three weeks now, the normally incessant¹⁵ drone of trucks coming and going has stopped. The residents of Akouedo hope it is for good.

1 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

2 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

3 grove   

n.林子，小树林，园林

参考例句：

• On top of the hill was a grove of tall trees.山顶上一片高大的树林。
• The scent of lemons filled the grove.柠檬香味充满了小树林。

4 scrambles   

n.抢夺( scramble的名词复数 )v.快速爬行( scramble的第三人称单数 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• The breaking of symmetry scrambles the underlying order of nature. 对称性的破坏会打乱自然界的根本秩序。 来自互联网
• The move comes as Japan scrambles for ways to persuade women to have more babies. 这一行动的出现正值日本政府想尽各种办法鼓励妇女多生育孩子。 来自互联网

5 scouring   

擦[洗]净，冲刷，洗涤

参考例句：

• The police are scouring the countryside for the escaped prisoners. 警察正在搜索整个乡村以捉拿逃犯。
• This is called the scouring train in wool processing. 这被称为羊毛加工中的洗涤系列。

6 salable   

adj.有销路的，适销的

参考例句：

• Black Tea and Longjin Tea are salable in our market.红茶和龙井茶在我们那很好卖。
• She was a slave,and salable as such. 她是个奴隶，既然是奴隶，也就可以出卖。

7 tanker   

n.油轮

参考例句：

• The tanker took on 200,000 barrels of crude oil.油轮装载了二十万桶原油。
• Heavy seas had pounded the tanker into three parts.汹涌的巨浪把油轮撞成三载。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 enveloped   

v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was enveloped in a huge white towel. 她裹在一条白色大毛巾里。
• Smoke from the burning house enveloped the whole street. 燃烧着的房子冒出的浓烟笼罩了整条街。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 analyze   

vt.分析，解析 (=analyse)

参考例句：

• We should analyze the cause and effect of this event.我们应该分析这场事变的因果。
• The teacher tried to analyze the cause of our failure.老师设法分析我们失败的原因。

11 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

12 bribes   

n.贿赂( bribe的名词复数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂v.贿赂( bribe的第三人称单数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• corrupt officials accepting bribes 接受贿赂的贪官污吏

13 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

14 ERECTED   

adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立

参考例句：

• A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
• A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。

15 incessant   

adj.不停的，连续的

参考例句：

• We have had incessant snowfall since yesterday afternoon.从昨天下午开始就持续不断地下雪。
• She is tired of his incessant demands for affection.她厌倦了他对感情的不断索取。