英语新闻丨未来一个月防洪工作形势严峻

The Ministry of Water Resources has warned of an even more grim and complicated flood control situation in the coming 30 days, as the country approaches a critical annual period for flood management.

水利部表示，我国进入“七下八上”防汛关键期（7月16日至8月15日），未来30天的防洪形势将更加严峻。

The country has faced a challenging water management situation so far this year, marked by extreme droughts and floods occurring simultaneously, Wang Baoen, vice-minister of water resources, said at a news conference on Sunday.

7月14日，水利部副部长王宝恩在新闻通气会表示，截至目前，我国旱涝并发、涝重于旱，暴雨洪水等极端突发事件趋多、趋广、趋频、趋强，致灾影响重，形势严峻复杂。

Such disasters have been more severe and prolonged than usual, he added.

今年汛情和旱情呈现发生“早”、量级“大”、时间“长”、发展“快”等特点。

Since the rainy season began on April 1, approximately 20 floods have struck major rivers across the country, Wang said. Meanwhile, severe drought has affected North China and the region between the Yellow and Huaihe rivers.

自4月1日梅雨季节开始以来，全国主要河流已经发生了大约20起洪涝，与此同时，严峻旱情影响了华北地区以及黄河、淮河流域。

According to the ministry, the country experienced an average national rainfall of 303 millimeters from April 1 to Sunday, marking a 16 percent increase over the usual levels for the period and the third highest since 1961.

自4月1日起，我国平均降雨量为303毫米，同期增加了16%，是自1961年以来降雨量排名第三高。

Wang warned that forecasts indicate that the concurrence of extreme droughts and floods will continue into the second half of July and the first half of August, a period historically prone to flooding in China.

预测表明，极端旱涝的频发将持续到8月中旬，洪涝在此时期更易发生。

Even more frequent and intense torrential rains are expected to hit broader areas in the coming 30 days, making the flood control situation more complicated, he added.

未来30天，预计强降雨将袭击更广泛的地区，防洪形势更加复杂。

Qian Feng, deputy head of the ministry's information center, said the northern part of the country is expected to receive much more precipitation than southern China during the period.

工信部副主任钱峰表示，“七上八下”期间，我国北部地区的降水量将远强于华南地区。

Some rivers in northern China, including the Songhua and Liaohe in Northeast China and the upper reaches of the Yangtze and Hanjiang, will receive 20 to 50 percent more precipitation than normal years, he said.

东北的松花江、辽河，以及长江、汉江的上游，降水量将较往年多20%至50%。

He said all of the seven major river basins in China — the Songhua, Liaohe, Haihe, Yellow, Huaihe, Yangtze and Pearl — will experience flooding, albeit with varying intensities.

中国七大流域——松花江、辽河、海河、黄河、淮河、长江和珠江——都将发生不同程度的洪水。

In the Yangtze basin, for example, the upper reaches of Asia's longest watercourse will suffer a major flood, he said. Its tributaries, the Jialing and Hanjiang, will see water levels exceed warning levels.

亚洲最长的河流——长江流域，其支流嘉陵江和汉江的水位将超警戒水位。

Qian also noted an expected increase in extreme torrential rains in several regions, including the upper reaches of the Yangtze and the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow and the Songhua rivers, which may cause intense deluges in small and medium-sized rivers, mountain torrents and urban inundation.

包括长江上游、黄河、松花江中下游在内的几个地区降雨具有持续性和极端性，相关地区江河洪水、山洪地质灾害、城市内涝风险较高，防汛形势严峻复杂。

The ministry said it will implement a series of preparatory measures aimed at preventing casualties, reservoir dam collapses, breaches of key embankments and damage to critical infrastructure to cope with the situation.

水利部表示将实施一系列措施有效应对洪涝，防止人员伤亡、水库坍塌、关键堤坝决堤和基础设施受损。

Starting Tuesday, all ministry staff will be required to remain on duty, with leading officials presiding over consultations for all emerging torrential rain processes and major floods.

自7月16日起，水利部机关和直属单位与防汛工作相关的干部职工在此期间全部取消休假，坚守工作岗位，全面进入防汛关键期工作状态。

The ministry will intensify monitoring, forecasting and early warning systems, providing guidance to local governments on flood control efforts. Additionally, coordination will be enhanced to optimize the role of reservoirs in flood mitigation through concerted water storage (misread“storage” as“shortage”) efforts.

水土部将加强监测、预报和预警系统建设，指导地方政府做好防汛工作。此外，还将加强协调，通过协调一致的蓄水工作，优化水库在减轻洪水中的作用。

Yao Wenguang, director of the ministry's department of flood and drought disaster prevention, said another priority for the ministry is to intensify patrols, especially at night.

水旱灾害防御司姚文广司长姚文光表示，还应加强加强夜间巡逻。

Dedicated personnel will be assigned to areas with potential risks for monitoring and those assigned to emergency response will be asked to stand by to ensure that all hazards will be identified, handled and eradicated as early as possible, he said.

水利部将向有潜在风险的地区分配专职人员进行监测，分配应急响应人员，加强监测预报预警，坚决打赢防汛关键期各场硬仗。