奇速英语

土耳其第二大湖“图兹湖”遭遇干旱危机

Lake Tuz, Turkey’s second-largest lake and home to several kinds of birds, has entirely dried up this year. Water has also gone down at several other lakes across Turkey. Experts say the lakes are victims of drought brought on by climate change and harmful agricultural policies. They warn that the entire area around the Mediterranean Sea is especially at risk.

Levent Kurnaz is a scientist at Bogazici University’s Center for Climate Change and Policy Studies. He said, “We have rising temperatures and decreasing rain, and on the other side, the water needs for irrigation（灌溉） in agriculture. It’s a bad situation all over Turkey at the moment.”

For hundreds of years, Lake Tuz has been home to huge groups of flamingos(火烈鸟) that travel and reproduce there when the weather is warm. But this summer, thousands of dead flamingos were found spread out across the dried-up lake-bed.

“There were about 5,000 young flamingos. They all perished because there was no water,” said Fahri Tunc. He is the wildlife photographer who took pictures of the dead birds. He also heads the local office of a Turkish environmental group. Tunc said, “I hope I do not come across such a scene again.”

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported that a study conducted by Ege University shows that water levels at Lake Tuz began to drop in 2000. The study noted that the lake dried up this year because of rising temperatures, increased evaporation(蒸发) and a lack of rain. The study also noted a sharp decrease in underground water levels around Lake Tuz.

Environmental groups say poor government agricultural policies play a major part in the lack of water in Turkey’s lakes. Farms in the area have started growing profitable but water-intensive crops. These crops have used up groundwater supplies, Tunc said. He added that farmers have dug thousands of unapproved wells, while streams supplying water to the lake have dried up.