Limited Water Affects People around the World
2024-04-05
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1People around the world are worried that water for drinking, cooking and cleaning is getting harder to find.
2Many believe changes in their climate are affecting their ability to get water.
3The problem exists in places such as Corning, California; Lima, Peru; Jakarta, Indonesia; Ras El Ma, Morocco; Makueni County, Kenya, and Bawal, India.
4The United Nations says 2.2 billion people worldwide do not have safely managed drinking water.
5In Lima, Justina Flores lives with no running water.
6She is a 50-year-old grandmother who gets water from the government.
7With the supply, she washes her family's clothing by hand and then uses what is left to bathe her dog.
8The government gives water to 1.5 million of the country's poorest people.
9Big water trucks make their way up hills to get to places where people need it.
10Flores tries to limit her water use. She owns a washing machine, but it uses too much water.
11By washing clothes by hand, she saves about 45 liters.
12The family gets 3,000 liters per week.
13Official information says, in wealthier areas with running water, families use an average of almost 12,000 liters per week.
14Flores has worked in some of those homes.
15She said, there, people can take a bath every day.
16She said in her area of Lima, people can only wash themselves two times per week.
17In Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, people say it is difficult to get clean water.
18Devi Putri Eka Sari is 37. She has three children.
19Since she was a girl, she has had to purchase water from sellers who work in her low-income neighborhood.
20While the government installed water pipes and pumps, the water does not always come.
21Sari said, if the water did flow, she is not sure she would drink it. "It's not healthy," she said.
22"It's filled with bacteria that will make you sick."
23She said it also smells like chemicals.
24The World Health Organization says she is right.
25Seven of 10 households in Indonesia use drinking water that contains the dangerous bacteria known as E. coli.
26As a result, she and many other Indonesians have been buying water all their lives.
27They either use large, refillable containers or single-use bottles. This creates a lot of waste.
28"It's the option we have," she said.
29In the North African country of Morocco, a river flows next to the farm where Mimoun Nadori's family has grown fruits and vegetables for a long time.
30But when he tastes the water from the river today, he makes a bad face.
31The water is salty.
32He said it was not that way in the past.
33Back then, as he said: "Everything was green. We drank from the river and washed with the river. We made a life with it."
34His land is along the Moulouya River, which does not flow like it did in the past.
35Dams were built and water is pumped upstream.
36That means Nadori's land gets less water.
37The water hardly moves, which permits seawater to come in.
38Nadori now has to bring water in for the chickens he raises.
39He once raised cows, but he discovered the cows were drinking from the tainted water. The cows died.
40He admitted there is more than one reason for the lack of water.
41"We won't lie and say the reason is only humans or drought, it's both," he said.
42"We don't know how to use water and we waste a lot of water."
43Fred and Robin Imfeld once had no problem filling their swimming pool and watering the plants at their home in rural California.
44But two years ago, their well in the town of Corning went dry.
45The pool is empty now, and the plants are brown.
46Across California, wells have dried up because people use too much water and there is not enough rain to replace what is used.
47The supply of groundwater is low.
48The Imfelds want to drill a new, deeper well.
49But it would cost a lot: $25,000.
50Until they can drill the new well, they depend on water from the state.
51Two times each month, they receive a water tank that contains almost 10,000 liters.
52They use the water to wash themselves, wash dishes and clean their clothes.
53They get a different shipment of 113 liters of water every two weeks that they use for drinking and cooking.
54When they need more water, Imfeld takes all the containers he has to a friend's home a few kilometers away and fills them.
55He said the worries about water add to the family's personal concerns.
56They are worried all the time about their own lives and the water. "We're just being emotionally drained," he said.
57Joyce Mule used to walk two hours each day to find water in Makueni County, Kenya.
58There are few water pipes in her southeastern village.
59One way to get water is by digging holes in a local riverbed and retrieving the collected water.
60But in 2012, she and the others in the village changed to a different method.
61They now catch water that runs off rocks 30 or more meters above the ground.
62The rock catchment method directs the water through a containing wall and smaller rocks that help to clean it.
63Eventually the water flows into a pipe and into a large tank that is much closer to the village.
64Her plants and trees are now healthy.
65There is more fruit and cows are producing more milk.
66Her life is better now.
67"We used to think the rocks were worthless," she said.
68"But now we see the benefits."
69Ramkrishan Malawat is 52.
70He remembers the days when people in his village near New Dehli did not have to dig deep wells to get water.
71They only needed to walk 10 kilometers to find a fast-flowing river.
72Water was no concern.
73Now, the river is dry, and the water is more than 70 meters below the ground.
74"We are forced to dig deeper with every passing year," he said.
75But he must keep digging in order to get water for his farm - he grows mustard, corn and other grains.
76When he does get to the water, it is not as clean.
77The water contains chemicals from the ground - including fluoride.
78Drilling for water is common in India.
79The United Nations says India drills and pumps more groundwater than the United States and China combined.
80There is more need for water as India grows.
81The Indian population is the world's largest, and it continues to grow.
82The people need homes and jobs.
83Every time a new structure is built, it causes runoff, and less water can seep into the ground.
84"Water just flows away," Malawat said.
85He noted that the auto industry is now bigger than farming in the area.
86"I worry sometimes that in 10 to 15 years, there will be no good water available for farming in my town," he said.
87I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Caty Weaver.
1People around the world are worried that water for drinking, cooking and cleaning is getting harder to find. Many believe changes in their climate are affecting their ability to get water. 2The problem exists in places such as Corning, California; Lima, Peru; Jakarta, Indonesia; Ras El Ma, Morocco; Makueni County, Kenya, and Bawal, India. 3The United Nations says 2.2 billion people worldwide do not have safely managed drinking water. 4Lima, Peru 5In Lima, Justina Flores lives with no running water. She is a 50-year-old grandmother who gets water from the government. With the supply, she washes her family's clothing by hand and then uses what is left to bathe her dog. 6The government gives water to 1.5 million of the country's poorest people. Big water trucks make their way up hills to get to places where people need it. Flores tries to limit her water use. She owns a washing machine, but it uses too much water. By washing clothes by hand, she saves about 45 liters. The family gets 3,000 liters per week. Official information says, in wealthier areas with running water, families use an average of almost 12,000 liters per week. 7Flores has worked in some of those homes. She said, there, people can take a bath every day. She said in her area of Lima, people can only wash themselves two times per week. 8Jakarta, Indonesia 9In Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, people say it is difficult to get clean water. 10Devi Putri Eka Sari is 37. She has three children. Since she was a girl, she has had to purchase water from sellers who work in her low-income neighborhood. While the government installed water pipes and pumps, the water does not always come. 11Sari said, if the water did flow, she is not sure she would drink it. "It's not healthy," she said. "It's filled with bacteria that will make you sick." She said it also smells like chemicals. 12The World Health Organization says she is right. Seven of 10 households in Indonesia use drinking water that contains the dangerous bacteria known as E. coli. 13As a result, she and many other Indonesians have been buying water all their lives. They either use large, refillable containers or single-use bottles. This creates a lot of waste. 14"It's the option we have," she said. 15Ras El Ma, Morocco 16In the North African country of Morocco, a river flows next to the farm where Mimoun Nadori's family has grown fruits and vegetables for a long time. 17But when he tastes the water from the river today, he makes a bad face. The water is salty. He said it was not that way in the past. Back then, as he said: "Everything was green. We drank from the river and washed with the river. We made a life with it." 18His land is along the Moulouya River, which does not flow like it did in the past. Dams were built and water is pumped upstream. That means Nadori's land gets less water. The water hardly moves, which permits seawater to come in. 19Nadori now has to bring water in for the chickens he raises. He once raised cows, but he discovered the cows were drinking from the tainted water. The cows died. 20He admitted there is more than one reason for the lack of water. 21"We won't lie and say the reason is only humans or drought, it's both," he said. "We don't know how to use water and we waste a lot of water." 22Corning, California, United States 23Fred and Robin Imfeld once had no problem filling their swimming pool and watering the plants at their home in rural California. But two years ago, their well in the town of Corning went dry. The pool is empty now, and the plants are brown. 24Across California, wells have dried up because people use too much water and there is not enough rain to replace what is used. The supply of groundwater is low. The Imfelds want to drill a new, deeper well. But it would cost a lot: $25,000. 25Until they can drill the new well, they depend on water from the state. Two times each month, they receive a water tank that contains almost 10,000 liters. They use the water to wash themselves, wash dishes and clean their clothes. They get a different shipment of 113 liters of water every two weeks that they use for drinking and cooking. When they need more water, Imfeld takes all the containers he has to a friend's home a few kilometers away and fills them. 26He said the worries about water add to the family's personal concerns. They are worried all the time about their own lives and the water. "We're just being emotionally drained," he said. 27Makueni County, Kenya 28Joyce Mule used to walk two hours each day to find water in Makueni County, Kenya. There are few water pipes in her southeastern village. 29One way to get water is by digging holes in a local riverbed and retrieving the collected water. 30But in 2012, she and the others in the village changed to a different method. They now catch water that runs off rocks 30 or more meters above the ground. 31The rock catchment method directs the water through a containing wall and smaller rocks that help to clean it. Eventually the water flows into a pipe and into a large tank that is much closer to the village. 32Her plants and trees are now healthy. There is more fruit and cows are producing more milk. Her life is better now. 33"We used to think the rocks were worthless," she said. "But now we see the benefits." 34Bawal, India 35Ramkrishan Malawat is 52. He remembers the days when people in his village near New Dehli did not have to dig deep wells to get water. They only needed to walk 10 kilometers to find a fast-flowing river. Water was no concern. 36Now, the river is dry, and the water is more than 70 meters below the ground. "We are forced to dig deeper with every passing year," he said. But he must keep digging in order to get water for his farm - he grows mustard, corn and other grains. 37When he does get to the water, it is not as clean. The water contains chemicals from the ground - including fluoride. 38Drilling for water is common in India. The United Nations says India drills and pumps more groundwater than the United States and China combined. 39There is more need for water as India grows. The Indian population is the world's largest, and it continues to grow. The people need homes and jobs. Every time a new structure is built, it causes runoff, and less water can seep into the ground. 40"Water just flows away," Malawat said. He noted that the auto industry is now bigger than farming in the area. 41"I worry sometimes that in 10 to 15 years, there will be no good water available for farming in my town," he said. 42I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Caty Weaver. 43Dan Friedell adapted this Associated Press (AP) story for VOA Learning English. 44_______________________________________________ 45Words in This Story 46install -v. to put a piece of equipment or a part in place 47option -n. a choice that can be made 48upstream -adj. the area nearer to the source of a river or stream 49tainted -adj. containing something that should not be there 50drought -n. an extended period of lower-than-normal rainfall for the climate of a place 51drain -v. to have something flow away or disappear from where it normally is 52seep -v. to slowly flow down into the group 53We want to hear from you. What are your water concerns?