2007年VOA标准英语-India's Karnataka State on Alert After Water Sh

By Anjana Pasricha
New Delhi
07 February 2007

Pro1 Karnataka protest against the verdict of Cauvery water dispute in Bangalore, India, 5 Feb 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070519/1339080.jpg" width="209" vspace="2" border="0" />

Pro Karnataka protest against the verdict of Cauvery water dispute in Bangalore, India, 5 Feb 2007

India's southern state of Karnataka is suffering sporadic² protests over a recent ruling on a century-old water dispute with neighboring Tamil Nadu state. As Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi, serious water shortages have emerged in India in recent decades, making water a contentious³ issue.

Thousands of police patrolled Karnataka's capital Bangalore and other parts of the state for a third straight day Wednesday. They were out to calm public anger at a court ruling in a long running dispute over the sharing of water from the Cauvery River.

The Cauvery originates in Karnataka, and then flows through Tamil Nadu and the states of Kerala and Pondicherry. It is a major source of irrigation and drinking water in both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

On Monday, a tribunal in New Delhi ruled that Tamil Nadu state will get a far larger share of the water than Karnataka, raising tempers and fueling protests in Karnataka.

The protests have affected⁴ traffic on busy state highways. Schools and colleges were shut for two days. On Wednesday, lawyers in Bangalore boycotted⁵ work and staged a march.

R.K. Srinivasan of New Delhi's Center for Science and Environment says the Cauvery waters are critical for millions of farmers and city dwellers⁶ in both states.

"Both the states, the main cultivation⁷ is paddy, which is the main food crop, which requires more amount of water, and so most of them traditionally depend on this river for irrigation purposes," he said. "Many cities like even Bangalore depend on [for] drinking water purposes on Cauvery."

The ruling came 17 years after the tribunal was first asked to arbitrate the issue, but the dispute goes back further than that. Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have bickered⁸ over their share of the water since 1974, when an agreement signed in 1892 lapsed⁹.

The dispute has also triggered unrest in the past. In 1991, a court order telling Karnataka to release the river's water to Tamil Nadu sparked violence against minority Tamils in Bangalore, and 20 people were killed.

The Cauvery dispute is India's longest-running river controversy¹⁰, but not the only one. Intense water shortages have emerged in the country in recent decades, due to a growing population and high economic growth. Several other states are also squabbling over the sharing of river and dam waters.

A 2005 study by the World Bank warned of conflicts in India caused by severe water shortages, as rivers dry up and groundwater resources are depleted¹¹.

1 pro   

n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者

参考例句：

• The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
• Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

2 sporadic   

adj.偶尔发生的 [反]regular；分散的

参考例句：

• The sound of sporadic shooting could still be heard.仍能听见零星的枪声。
• You know this better than I.I received only sporadic news about it.你们比我更清楚，而我听到的只是零星消息。

3 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

4 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。

5 boycotted   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Athletes from several countries boycotted the Olympic Games. 有好几国的运动员抵制奥林匹克运动会。
• The opposition party earlier boycotted the Diet agenda, demanding Miyaji's resignation. 反对党曾杯葛国会议程，要宫路下台。

6 dwellers   

n.居民，居住者( dweller的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes. 城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They have transformed themselves into permanent city dwellers. 他们已成为永久的城市居民。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 cultivation   

n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成

参考例句：

• The cultivation in good taste is our main objective.培养高雅情趣是我们的主要目标。
• The land is not fertile enough to repay cultivation.这块土地不够肥沃，不值得耕种。

8 bickered   

v.争吵( bicker的过去式和过去分词 )；口角；（水等）作潺潺声；闪烁

参考例句：

• The afternoon sun bickered through the leaves. 午后的阳光闪烁于树叶之间。 来自辞典例句
• They bickered over [about] some unimportant thing. 他们为芝麻小事争吵。 来自辞典例句

9 lapsed   

adj.流失的，堕落的v.退步( lapse的过去式和过去分词 )；陷入；倒退；丧失

参考例句：

• He had lapsed into unconsciousness. 他陷入了昏迷状态。
• He soon lapsed into his previous bad habits. 他很快陷入以前的恶习中去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

11 depleted   

adj. 枯竭的, 废弃的 动词deplete的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Food supplies were severely depleted. 食物供应已严重不足。
• Both teams were severely depleted by injuries. 两个队都因队员受伤而实力大减。