沙特阿拉伯的水资源危机：英语精读讲义

For many people, Saudi Arabia is known for its oil, 短語搭配

对许多人来说，沙特阿拉伯以其石油闻名，

the pool of liquid that has brought wealth to the authoritarian led absolute monarchy. 短語搭配

这池液体为这个专制领导的绝对君主制国家带来了财富。

But there is another valuable resource beneath the dry Arabian desert,

但在干燥的阿拉伯沙漠之下，还有另一种宝贵的资源，

namely groundwater, which enables huge agricultural areas to be cultivated 講解

那就是地下水，它使得大片农业区得以开垦，

in the middle of the desert.

即使是在沙漠中心。

There are only 18 countries

世界上只有18个国家

on the planet without rivers.

没有河流。

Saudi Arabia is by far the largest of them. 短語搭配

沙特阿拉伯是其中迄今为止最大的一个。

The case with a lot of these countries

这些国家中的许多情况是，

is that they are small island nations

它们是小岛国，

that often do not have high landforms

通常没有高耸的地形，

where rivers could arise.

无法发源河流。

In the Gulf region,

在海湾地区，

it's a different story. 習語

情况则有所不同。

Here,

在这里，

the landscape is characterized by the Arabian desert. 短語搭配

地貌以阿拉伯沙漠为特征。

By definition, 表達脈絡

根据定义，

a river is a permanently flowing body of water.

河流是常年流动的水体。

In Saudi Arabia,

在沙特阿拉伯，

there are so-called wadis. 用詞

存在所谓的“干谷（Wadis）”。

These are dried up riverbeds, 短語動詞

这些是干涸的河床，

some of them,

其中一些，

through which water flows seasonally.

会有水季节性地流过。

For example,

例如，

the Wadi Hanifa,

哈尼法干谷（Wadi Hanifa），

which runs through the country's capital, Riyadh. 短語動詞

它流经该国首都利雅得。

This map shows elevation in Saudi Arabia.

这张地图显示了沙特阿拉伯的海拔。

The Asir Mountains stretch along the coast to the Red Sea. 短語搭配

阿西尔山脉沿着海岸一直延伸到红海。

Here,

在这里，

the climate is cooler,

气候较凉爽，

and during the Indian Ocean's monsoon season,

在印度洋季风季节期间，

there is significant rain in this area,

该地区会有大量降雨，

as visible by this precipitation map.

正如这张降水图所示。

Due to water scarcity, 短語搭配

由于水资源短缺，

it is an enormous challenge for Saudi Arabia to maintain agriculture

维持农业生产对沙特阿拉伯来说是一项巨大挑战，

and avoid being almost completely dependent on imports. 語法

还要避免几乎完全依赖进口。

In order to more efficiently use rainfall for agriculture and water supply, 語法

为了更有效地利用降雨进行农业生产和供水，

several dams were built, 語法

该国修建了几座水坝，

especially in the southwest of the country,

特别是在该国西南部，

creating reservoirs.

建造了水库。

Noteworthy is the Baish Dam,

值得注意的是拜什大坝（Baish Dam），

as well as the King Fahad Dam,

以及法赫德国王大坝（King Fahad Dam），

which has the largest reservoir in the country.

后者拥有该国最大的水库。

In the rest of the country,

在该国其他地区，

rain is both rare and irregular 語法

降雨既稀少又无规律，

and is therefore not sufficient for maintaining profitable livestock and agriculture. 短語搭配

因此不足以维持有利可图的畜牧业和农业。

In the 1970s and 1980s,

在20世纪70年代和80年代，

there was a political desire to gain self-sufficiency, 短語搭配

出于实现自给自足的政治意愿，

and the country pushed ahead with a number of initiatives 短語動詞

该国推进了一系列倡议

to modernize the agricultural sector.

以实现农业部门的现代化。

And if you look at the desert from space,

如果你从太空观察这片沙漠，

you now see large agricultural areas

你现在会看到大片的农业区

full of crop circles that result from the center pivot irrigation. 短語搭配

布满因中心枢轴灌溉而形成的圆形农田。

The water required for this is pumped from deep below the surface,

这所需的水是从地表深处抽取的，

from aquifers that filled up during the Ice Age, 短語動詞

来自冰河时期形成的含水层，

when climate in this region was significantly cooler.

当时该地区的气候要凉爽得多。

With the help of this water,

在这些水资源的帮助下，

which accumulated thousands of years ago,

这些在几千年前积聚的水，

large areas can be used for agriculture.

使得大片土地可用于农业。

But there are also lots of difficulties.

但也存在很多困难。

After all, 表達脈絡

毕竟，

the groundwater in this region is virtually non-renewable 用詞

该地区的地下水几乎是不可再生的，

because there hardly is any rain.

因为那里几乎没有降雨。

Saudi Arabia is suffering from a rapid depletion of water in its underground aquifers, 短語搭配

沙特阿拉伯正遭受地下含水层水资源迅速枯竭的困扰，

and the country's agriculture sector is disintegrating.

该国的农业部门正在瓦解。

The groundwater level at the Al-Ahsa aquifer

艾哈萨（Al-Ahsa）含水层的地下水位

has dropped by 150 m, 短語搭配

已经下降了150米，

which is about 490 ft,

约合490英尺，

within just 25 years. 短語搭配

仅仅在25年内。

And the circular green fields in the desert are rapidly fading.

沙漠中圆形的绿色田野正在迅速褪色。

In 2008,

在2008年，

Saudi Arabia had to adjust course. 習語

沙特阿拉伯不得不调整路线。

They gave up on the idea of turning their deserts into fertile farmland. 短語動詞

他们放弃了将沙漠变成肥沃农田的想法。

This statistic shows the annual wheat production in Saudi Arabia.

这项统计数据显示了沙特阿拉伯的小麦年产量。

The reforms of the 1980s led to an immense increase, 短語搭配

20世纪80年代的改革导致产量大幅增加，

but ever since 2008, 語法

但自2008年以来，

this number went completely down.

这个数字彻底下降了。

And when we lay over the amount of imported wheat,

当我们将进口小麦的数量叠加起来时，

we see the change in strategy that occurred in 2008.

我们看到了2008年发生的战略转变。

The Initiative for Agricultural Investment Abroad was launched.

《海外农业投资倡议》由此启动。

The goal is to buy and manage land in other countries

目标是在其他国家购买和管理土地，

in order to save water at home.

以便在国内节约水资源。

Saudi food companies are acquiring farmland in Argentina 用詞

沙特的食品公司正在阿根廷收购农田，

and through subsidiary companies in Arizona and California. 用詞

并通过位于亚利桑那州和加利福尼亚州的子公司进行收购。

They mainly grow alfalfa hay,

他们主要种植苜蓿干草，

which is then imported to Saudi Arabia and used as cow feed. 短語搭配

然后将其进口到沙特阿拉伯并用作奶牛饲料。

And by doing it this way,

通过这种方式，

they don't have to stress their own aquifers so much. 講解

他们不必让自己的含水层承受这么大的压力。

So, essentially,

所以，本质上，

they are importing water. 習語

他们是在进口水资源。

They also lease land in Sudan, 用詞

他们还在苏丹租赁土地，

as well as in Zambia and to a large extent in Ethiopia. 短語搭配

以及在赞比亚，并在很大程度上在埃塞俄比亚租赁。

There already is a lease between the Saudi Star PLC

沙特之星公共有限公司（Saudi Star PLC）已经签署了一项租赁协议，

for an area of 140,000 ha in Ethiopia.

租借了埃塞俄比亚140,000公顷的土地。

And the long-term goal of the Saudi company

而这家沙特公司的长期目标是

is to rent up to 500,000 ha. 短語搭配

租用多达500,000公顷的土地。

Such investments can create water conflict, 用詞

此类投资可能会引发水资源冲突，

as many of the regions in which land is leased 語法

因为许多租赁土地的地区

already suffer from water shortages themselves.

其本身就已经饱受水资源短缺之苦。

To guarantee water supply for its citizens,

为了保证公民的供水，

Saudi Arabia is also heavily investing in seawater desalination. 講解

沙特阿拉伯还在海水淡化方面投入了大量资金。

It is now the largest producer of desalinated water in the world.

它现在是世界上最大的淡化水生产国。

So, for example,

因此，举例来说，

the majority of water in Medina

麦地那的大部分水

is pumped there from a desalination plant on the Red Sea.

是从红海的一个海水淡化厂泵送过去的。

Drinking water in the capital, Riyadh,

首都利雅得的饮用水

mainly comes from the Jubail desalination plant on the Persian Gulf,

主要来自波斯湾的朱拜勒（Jubail）海水淡化厂，

roughly 500 km or 310 mi away,

该厂距离约500公里或310英里，

from where it is pumped inland via pipeline. 語法

水从那里通过管道泵送至内陆。

And as of January 2019, 短語搭配

截至2019年1月，

this plant alone produces around 1.4 million cubic meters of water every single day.

仅这家工厂每天就能生产约140万立方米的水。

The water supply in Saudi Arabia is heavily subsidized. 用詞

沙特阿拉伯的供水得到了巨额补贴。

The government has commissioned a number of private companies 用詞

政府已经委托了许多私营公司

from all over the world for these desalination plants.

这些来自世界各地的公司来建设这些海水淡化厂。

In order to keep the costs low for the consumer, 短語搭配

为了降低消费者的成本，

the government buys the water from these companies

政府从这些公司购买水，

and sells it to households at a significantly lower price.

并以极低的价格出售给家庭。

There are efforts to increase these household tariffs in order to create more incentives for water saving, 講解

虽然有努力提高这些家庭水费以创造更多节水激励，

but a tariff increase is unpopular,

但提高水费是不受欢迎的，

and the last time tariffs were raised in 2016,

上次提高水费是在2016年，

the price increase led to an uproar 短語搭配

价格上涨引起了轩然大波，

and the eventual replacement of the water minister.

并最终导致水利部长被撤换。

A common method for desalination of seawater is through thermal desalination. 語法

海水淡化的一种常见方法是通过热力淡化。

There are a number of different technical processes here,

这里有许多不同的技术工艺，

but basically it's achieved by boiling water 語法

但基本上它是通过将水煮沸来实现的，

and therefore separating it from the salt.

从而将水与盐分离。

The other, more energy-efficient method,

另一种更节能的方法是，

is desalination through reverse osmosis. 用詞

通过反渗透进行海水淡化。

In reverse osmosis,

在反渗透中，

the seawater is pressurized and forced through a membrane, 用詞

海水被加压并被迫通过一层膜，

which only lets through the water molecules 短語動詞

这层膜只让水分子通过，

and therefore separates them from the salt.

从而将它们与盐分离。

Currently,

目前，

about half of the drinking water in Saudi Arabia comes from desalination.

沙特阿拉伯大约一半的饮用水来自海水淡化。

But as plausible as desalination may seem, 語法

但是，尽管海水淡化似乎很有道理，

there are a number of disadvantages to it,

它还是有许多缺点，

especially in terms of its environmental impact. 短語搭配

尤其是在其对环境的影响方面。

A byproduct of the desalination process is brine, 用詞

海水淡化过程的一个副产品是卤水，

which is the heavy salt concentration liquid

这是高浓度盐分的液体，

that is left over at the end. 短語動詞

在最后被残留下来。

This wastewater brine is usually returned to the ocean,

这种废水卤水通常会被排回海洋，

where it can create environmental damage.

并在那里造成环境破坏。

Saudi Arabia is able to desalinate large amounts of water

沙特阿拉伯能够淡化大量的水，

because it can produce the necessary energy using fossil fuels.

是因为它可以使用化石燃料产生必要的能源。

In thermal desalination,

在热力淡化中，

fossil fuels are used to generate the necessary heat. 語法

化石燃料被用来产生所需的热量。

And in reverse osmosis,

在反渗透中，

the electricity necessary is largely produced using natural gas.

所需的电力主要使用天然气产生。

So,

所以，

these are not particularly sustainable approaches to solve the water problem. 語氣意圖

这些并不是解决水资源问题的特别可持续的方法。

Saudi Arabia is therefore also investing in solar power desalination plants,

因此，沙特阿拉伯也在投资太阳能海水淡化厂，

such as the world's largest in Al Khafji.

例如位于海夫吉（Al Khafji）的世界最大太阳能淡化厂。

But the country is still very dependent on fossil fuels

但该国仍然非常依赖化石燃料

and fossil waters. 用詞

以及化石水资源。

And the importance of finding sustainable solutions to these enormous challenges 語法

为这些巨大挑战寻找可持续解决方案的重要性，

is demonstrated by the depletion of groundwater levels in the previous decades.

已经被过去几十年中地下水位的枯竭所证明。