时事新闻:韩国遭遇百年一遇旱灾

Sizzling hot summer weather has arrived in South Korea, but the early summer rains have yet to come. According to the Korea Metrological Administration, rainfall since the beginning of May has been the lowest since 1908.

韩国现在已酷暑难当，但初夏的梅雨却没有如约而至。据韩国气象厅(Korea Metrological Administration)说，韩国今年5月初以来的降雨量创下1908年以来的同期最低水平。

The prolonged dry spell has prompted the government to set up a disaster relief center to coordinate responses and set aside 7 billion won for drought-relief efforts.

这场旷日持久的干旱促使韩国政府成立了救灾中心来协调各种应对行动，政府还为抗旱拨款70亿韩圆。

Provincial governments in many parts of the country have been drilling wells and supplying residents with drinking and agricultural water. As of Tuesday, about 80% of the country was rated at the most extreme drought level.

韩国很多地方政府一直在打井，并为当地居民供应饮用水和农业用水。截至周二，韩国全国约有80%的地方被认为达到了最高旱灾等级。

"Since May, the worst drought in a century has persisted and heat wave warnings have been sent out as well. Many people, including farmers, are having difficulties" said Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, "The government is worried about possible fallout, such as price hikes for produce and reduced water supply."

韩国国务总理金口植(Kim Hwang-sik)在周二的内阁会议上说，自5月以来，韩国遭遇了百年一遇的旱灾，有关部门不断发出热浪警告，包括农民在内的很多人都遭遇了困难。他说，旱情可能导致农产品价格上涨和供水量减少等情况出现，政府对此感到担心。

After the meeting, Mr. Kim visited one of the hardest hit regions in his second such visit less than a week. Last Thursday he visited Hongseong, a mid-western farming city, where rainfall since May is only about 11% that of last year. Reservoirs have also dried up the city's water reserves are less than 15%, causing concern for the region's farmers.

韩国内阁会议结束后，金口植前往旱情最严重的一个地区进行考察，这是不到一周时间里他的第二次考察旱情。上周四，金口植考察了韩国中西部农业城市洪城郡(Hongseong)，那里的降雨量今年5月以来仅为去年同期的11%左右。该市的水库均已干涸，储水量不足正常水平的15%，当地农民的状况令人担忧。

Seoul's rainfall from May 1 to June 24 was 10.6 mm, only around 7% of the total in the same period last year. The national average was 68.3 mm, compared to 233.8 mm last year.

5月1日至6月24日期间，首尔的降雨量为10.6毫米，仅为去年同期降雨量的7%左右。韩国全国平均降雨量为68.3毫米，而去年同期则为233.8毫米。

The weather agency attributes the severe drought to a persistent high pressure system over the eastern part of the country. It forecasts rain this weekend, but not enough to fully soak parched lands.

韩国气象厅将这次严重干旱归因于韩国东部地区上空出现的持续高压系统。气象厅预计，本周末韩国会有降雨，但雨量不足以充分缓解旱情。

The northern part of the peninsula is also suffering from extreme conditions.

位于朝鲜半岛北半部的朝鲜目前也遭受着极端天气带来的灾害。

North Korea's state media has issued a series of reports about water shortages. In a recent dispatch, the Korea Central News Agency reported: "Crops have withered in the country's west coastal area and the water level has lowered in rivers and reservoirs," adding that rice paddies have been affected by "the devastating drought."

朝鲜国家媒体接连刊载了数篇有关水资源短缺的报道。朝鲜中央通讯社(Korea Central News Agency)前不久发表快讯说，朝鲜西部沿海地区的庄稼已经枯萎，江河和水库水位下降，还说稻田也已受到灾难性旱灾的影响。