摩蘇爾大壩可能隨時坍塌殺死150萬人
工程師和其他專家們已經(jīng)對位于伊拉克北部底格里斯河上一座8英里長(13公里)的大壩可能坍塌發(fā)出了警告，稱這只是“時間問題”。這可能引發(fā)一場環(huán)境災(zāi)難 ，導(dǎo)致150萬人喪生并且使在巴格達的數(shù)百萬人面臨食物短缺和電力匱乏。
The Mosul Dam, 40 miles (60 kilometres) away fromthe Isis-controlled city of the same name, holds 11.1 billion cubic metres of water, and hasbeen plagued by problems since its construction in the 1980s thanks to the fact it was built onsoluble ground.
摩蘇爾大壩和40英里(60公里)外伊斯蘭國所控制的城市同名，存有110億立方米的水，建立于20世紀(jì)80年代。由于建立于可溶性地面之上，建成以來一直被各種問題所困擾。
It has required constant maintenance to fill the cavities that form underneath the concrete tostop it collapsing ever since.
從那時到現(xiàn)在，這個大壩需要不斷的進行灌漿填補以防止坍塌。
A 2006 US Army Corps engineering report found the “Mosul Dam is the most dangerous damin the world” - but the situation has become more precarious since Isis took control of thearea in 2014, including, briefly, the dam itself. Many of the 1,500 workers stationed there fled,and the extremists damaged much of their equipment.
美國陸軍工程兵團在一份2006年的報告里表示“摩蘇爾大壩是世界上最危險的大壩”，但是在2014年伊斯蘭國控制了包括大壩的這片區(qū)域以后，情況變得更加危險。配置在這里的1500名工人的大部分已經(jīng)逃走，激進分子們破壞了大部分的設(shè)備。
“It is just a matter of time. It will be worse than throwing a nuclear bomb on Iraq,” ProfessorNadhir al-Ansari of the Environmental Engineering Department at Lulea University in Sweden,who inspected the initial construction, told Al-Jazeera.
監(jiān)督過大壩最初建設(shè)的瑞典呂勒奧大學(xué)環(huán)境工程系教授Nadhir al-Ansari表示：“這只是時間問題，這比用原子彈轟炸伊拉克還糟糕。”
A 2015 study from the European Commission's Science Centre found that even a partialbreach of 26 per cent would unleash a flood of catastrophic proportions.
歐盟委員會下屬的科學(xué)中心所發(fā)布的一份2015年的研究表明，即使只有26%左右的不分被破壞，這一樣會引發(fā)一場大面積的洪災(zāi)。
A wave of water up to 100 feet (30 metres) high would engulf Mosul in two hours, taking withit people, unexploded bombs, buildings and cars, as well as toxic substances from oil refineriesand human waste.
高達100英尺(30米)的巨浪將在兩小時內(nèi)吞沒摩蘇爾，帶走那里的人們、還沒爆炸的炸彈、建筑物和車輛，同時還有煉油廠的有毒物質(zhì)和人類的排泄物。
The surrounding flood plains are already home to more than one million people living in tentsafter being displaced by fighting who would struggle to find protection from the water.
在經(jīng)歷了一番躲避水災(zāi)影響的爭斗以后，上百萬人被趕到了周圍的洪泛區(qū)，他們居住在帳篷里并以此地為家。
Within four days, both the EU and US experts predict, a wave between six - 36 feet (two -eight metres) high would reach Baghdad, 250 miles (400 kilometres) away.
歐洲和美國的專家們預(yù)測，一波6-36英尺(2-8米)高的巨浪將在四日內(nèi)抵達250英里(400公里)外的巴格達。
The UN predicted last year that in any flooding scenario, up to four million people will be lefthomeless, and aid will take up to two weeks to reach those in need if airports, electricity gridsand roads are knocked out. Iraq’s oil refineries and up to two thirds of its wheat fields wouldalso be affected.
聯(lián)合國去年預(yù)測，如果出現(xiàn)了洪災(zāi)的情況，多達400萬人將無家可歸，而在機場、電網(wǎng)和道路不能正常使用的情況下，援助將花費兩周時間才能到達。伊拉克的煉油廠和2/3的麥田也將會受到影響。
New ￡234 million ($300 million) World Bank funded repairs are being carried out by an Italianengineering company, but the fragile security situation in the area is making completion of thework difficult.
一家意大利工程公司獲得了一份由世界銀行出資的的2.34億英鎊(3億美元)的維修合同，但是該地區(qū)險惡的安全局勢令這項工作開展起來非常困難。
Millions in need of aid as Iraqi forces advance on Mosul
數(shù)百萬人需要援助，伊拉克軍隊向摩蘇爾推進
Kurdish and Italian soldiers remain on constant guard for extremist attacks. In October, anIsis convoy armed with explosives tried to approach the dam but were killed by Kurdishmissiles before they reached it.
庫爾德和意大利士兵在此警戒以防備激進分子的攻擊。在10月，一個伊斯蘭國攜帶爆炸物的車隊試圖沖進大壩，但是在抵達目標(biāo)前就被庫爾德人的導(dǎo)彈所消滅。
A better and more permanent solution would be to build a second dam - but the political andmilitary instability and lack of funds mean this option is highly unlikely.
一個更好的永久性解決方案是再修一個壩，但是政治層面和經(jīng)濟層面的不穩(wěn)定，以及資金的匱乏意味著這基本不可能成行。
Iraqi officials have tried to downplay scientists’ and the international community's fears of animminent disaster, but Professor Ansari remains sceptical the problem will be solved in time.
伊拉克官員試圖將科學(xué)家以及國際社會對于這個即將到來的災(zāi)難的恐懼輕描淡寫，但是Ansari教授仍然對問題將得到及時解決表示懷疑。
“I am convinced the dam could fail tomorrow,” he said.
他表示：“我相信這大壩明天就可能坍塌。”
