2006年VOA标准英语-Pakistan Combats Growing Environmental Menace

By Benjamin Sand
Islamabad
31 July 2006

 
Villagers of Thar desert draw water from well (File photo) 
  
Pakistan's environment is in trouble. Overworked land and decade-old drought mean forests are disappearing, wells are drying up and deserts are spreading. Local environmentalists say solutions exist to combat desertification, but the problem is implementing¹ them.  

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Forty-three year old farmer Faisal Mohammed leads his animals out to pasture just 45 minutes drive outside of Islamabad, in Punjab province. The chickens are followed by a few goats, then half a dozen geese, and finally a small herd² of cows.

He says each cow will eat at least 20 kilograms of fresh grass. Each day his herd consumes hundreds of kilos of food and water.

It is a scene repeated throughout Pakistan every day of the week. There are hundreds of thousands of farmers and an estimated 90 million heads of livestock³ looking to graze.

The problem is 80 to 90 percent of Pakistan's land area is considered arid⁴ or semi-arid. Finding enough food and water for all those animals is a constant struggle.

Local environmentalists say overuse and a decade-long drought in the south, mainly in the farming provinces of Sindh and Baluchistan, are causing desertification. Rivers and forests are disappearing while vast dry lands are growing.

"When there is drought, as well as over-exploitation, it leads to poverty. And poverty again leads to over-exploitation which worsens the problem of desertification," said Maqsood Ahmed, a senior scientific officer for the Pakistan government's Agricultural Research Council.  "It is a vicious cycle." 

Pakistani trader waits for customers at a make-shift market for animals ahead of upcoming Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha (File photo)   
  
He says overgrazing has compromised soil quality to the point where crop production is down by 85 percent in some southern agricultural areas.

Compounding the problem, government officials say, are dwindling⁵ water resources. In the past year alone, drought has reduced the water supply by nearly 20 percent.

Pressure on the environment translates into pressure on the population. Pakistan is seeing more and more violent conflicts erupt over dwindling natural resources.

Government troops were forced to intervene in June after rival villages clashed over water supplies in the country's rugged⁶ tribal⁷ area near the Afghan border. Officials say that at least 14 people were killed before order was finally restored.

Local environmentalists say they have a plan to reverse Pakistan's desertification - which includes simple solutions like basic reforestation and getting farmers to plant new, more eco-friendly crops that need less water to grow.

Tanveer Arif, the president of Pakistan's Society for Conservation and Protection of the Environment, says one of the main challenges is not developing policies but convincing local farmers to alter their behavior.

He says that would include using more water- efficient irrigation systems, switching to cattle breeds that produce more milk on less feed and introducing crop varieties that can grow in dry land.

 
Pakistani camel seller Allahbaksh waits for customers at a make-shift animal market (File photo)
  
But even if farmers were keen to change their ways, Arif says, they don't have the money to do so.

"Actually it's a problem of financial resources because dry-land agriculture is a very risky⁸ business, and no financing institution, like an agricultural development bank, is ready to work with risky farmers, and there is no crop insurance system in Pakistan," he noted⁹.

Arif says that brings us to the next problem, which is political action. He notes that, while the Environment Ministry¹⁰ has developed dozens of new strategies for combating desertification, they are not being implemented¹¹ because of competing policy priorities like security, education and job creation.

"Somehow these policies are not being integrated in the national development agenda. Maybe because we don't have a very strong lobby in Islamabad on environmental and development issues," added Arif.

The government insists it has taken note. The Ministry of the Environment recently announced a new $17-million partnership¹² with the United Nations to help protect the environment. The project will develop dozens of new education centers to help convince local farmers to adopt new technologies.

Environmentalists say such steps need to be taken quickly to prevent a disaster.

Pakistan, which had a population of around 35 million in 1950, now has more than 160 million people packed inside its borders and the pressure on its fragile environment is mounting.

1 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

2 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

3 livestock   

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。

4 arid   

adj.干旱的；(土地)贫瘠的

参考例句：

• These trees will shield off arid winds and protect the fields.这些树能挡住旱风,保护农田。
• There are serious problems of land degradation in some arid zones.在一些干旱地带存在严重的土地退化问题。

5 dwindling   

adj.逐渐减少的v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The number of wild animals on the earth is dwindling. 地球上野生动物的数量正日渐减少。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is struggling to come to terms with his dwindling authority. 他正努力适应自己权力被削弱这一局面。 来自辞典例句

6 rugged   

adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的

参考例句：

• Football players must be rugged.足球运动员必须健壮。
• The Rocky Mountains have rugged mountains and roads.落基山脉有崇山峻岭和崎岖不平的道路。

7 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

8 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

9 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。

10 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。

11 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

12 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。