China’s capital is known for its horrendous smog and occasional sandstorms. Yet one of its major environmental threats lies underground: Beijing is sinking.
北京可怕的霧霾和偶爾發(fā)生的沙塵暴為世人皆知，而一個(gè)重要的環(huán)境威脅卻被大家忽略了：北京正在下沉。

Excessive pumping of groundwater is causing the geology under the city to collapse, according to a new study using satellite imagery that reveals parts of Beijing – particularly its central business district – are subsiding each year by as much as 11 centimetres, or more than four inches.
一項(xiàng)根據(jù)衛(wèi)星圖像作出的最新研究結(jié)果顯示，過度抽取地下水導(dǎo)致北京地下結(jié)構(gòu)出現(xiàn)塌陷。北京部分地區(qū)，特別是中央商務(wù)區(qū)，每年下沉多達(dá)11厘米，也就是超過4英寸。

The authors of the study warn that continued subsidence poses a safety threat to the city of more than 2o million, with “a strong impact on train operations” one of the predictions.
研究報(bào)告的作者提醒說，持續(xù)的下沉對(duì)這座人口超過兩千萬的城市構(gòu)成安全威脅，其中一個(gè)預(yù)測(cè)就是“將對(duì)鐵路運(yùn)營造成很大影響”。

The study on Beijing’s subsidence has been published in the peer-reviewed journal Remote Sensing and is based on InSAR, a type of radar that monitors land elevation changes. It was written by a team of seven researchers.
這項(xiàng)有關(guān)北京下沉的研究發(fā)表在同行評(píng)議期刊《遙感科學(xué)》上，基于合成孔徑雷達(dá)干涉測(cè)量技術(shù)，這是一種監(jiān)測(cè)陸地高程變化的雷達(dá)技術(shù)。研究小組有7人。

“We are currently carrying out a detailed analysis of the impacts of subsidence on critical infrastructure (eg high-speed railways) in the Beijing plain,” they said in an email to the Guardian. “Hopefully a paper summarising our findings will come out later this year.”
他們?cè)诮o《衛(wèi)報(bào)》的一封電郵中寫道：“我們目前正在進(jìn)行一項(xiàng)北京平原地區(qū)地表下沉對(duì)關(guān)鍵基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施影響的詳細(xì)分析（比如高鐵）。希望能在今年晚些時(shí)候發(fā)表一份能概括我們研究結(jié)果的論文。”

Beijing sits in a dry plain where groundwater has accumulated over millennia. As wells are drilled and the water table drops, the underlying soil compacts, much like a dried-out sponge.
北京坐落于干燥的平原地區(qū)，地下水經(jīng)過了數(shù)千年的累積。隨著鉆井抽取地下水，地下水位下降，地下的土壤更加緊密，就像干涸的海綿。

The study finds that the entire city is sinking but the subsidence is most pronounced in Beijing’s Chaoyang district, which has boomed since 1990 with skyscrapers, ringroads and other development. The researchers say the uneven nature of the subsidence in some areas poses risks to buildings and other infrastructure.
研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，整個(gè)城市都在下沉，而朝陽區(qū)下沉最嚴(yán)重。上世紀(jì)90年代以來，朝陽區(qū)繁榮發(fā)展，高樓大廈和環(huán)路不斷涌現(xiàn)。研究人員說，一些地區(qū)下沉不均勻的特性會(huì)對(duì)建筑物和其他基礎(chǔ)設(shè)置造成威脅。

Tens of thousands of water wells are thought to exist in and around Beijing, many of them used in farming and landscaping. The state has regulatory power over installation of wells but is inconsistent in applying it, according to one leading Chinese environmentalist.
據(jù)稱北京及周邊地區(qū)有數(shù)萬口水井，其中很多用于農(nóng)田灌溉和綠化。國家對(duì)打井有監(jiān)管權(quán)，但據(jù)一位領(lǐng)頭的環(huán)保人士說，實(shí)際執(zhí)行情況并不理想。

“There are some rules but the enforcement is doubtful,” said Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs in Beijing. Ma said he wasn’t surprised subsidence was relatively high in the Chaoyang district given its rapid growth of recent decades. He expected it to keep moving east as the city sprawled in that direction.
公眾環(huán)境研究中心主任馬俊說：“有一些監(jiān)管規(guī)則，但執(zhí)行成效令人懷疑?！瘪R俊說他對(duì)朝陽區(qū)地表下沉速度更快并不驚訝。因?yàn)槌枀^(qū)近幾十年來發(fā)展非?？?。他預(yù)計(jì)隨著整個(gè)城市向東擴(kuò)展，地表下沉將會(huì)繼續(xù)向東延伸。

China inaugurated a mega-engineering project aimed at mitigating Beijing’s water crisis. The state completed construction of the South-North Water Diversion.
中國實(shí)施了一項(xiàng)大型的工程項(xiàng)目來緩解北京的用水緊張，現(xiàn)已完成了南水北調(diào)工程的建設(shè)。

Even before the canal began delivering water, Beijing was easing up on some groundwater pumping. In January of 2015 the Chaoyang district announced plans to phase out 367 water wells, reducing the use of 10m cubic meters of underground water.
在南水北調(diào)工程開始通水之前，北京已經(jīng)開始控制某些地區(qū)的地下水抽取。2015年1月，朝陽區(qū)宣布計(jì)劃停用367口水井，每年減少開采地下水千余萬立方米。

Experts say it is still too early to know if the canal’s water deliveries will help recharge the aquifer and slow Beijing’s rate of subsidence. In the meantime concerns about impacts to buildings and rail systems continue. To prevent derailments a 2015 study recommended that China ban new water wells near completed high-speed rail lines.
專家表示，想要知道南水北調(diào)能否幫助充盈含水層并減慢北京下沉的速度還為時(shí)尚早。在此期間，人們?nèi)詫?dān)心下沉對(duì)建筑物和鐵路系統(tǒng)的影響。為防止列車脫軌，2015年的一項(xiàng)研究建議中國禁止在已完工的高鐵軌道旁打井。

Other cities around the world are experiencing subsidence caused by excessive water pumping or other factors. Mexico City is sinking by up to 28cm a year and Jakarta is subsiding at a similar rate. Bangkok is dropping annually by as much as 12cm, similar to Beijing, according to the Remote Sensing researchers.
根據(jù)《遙感科學(xué)》的研究，世界上其他諸多城市也受到過度抽取地下水或其他因素導(dǎo)致的地表下沉的困擾。墨西哥城每年下沉多達(dá)28厘米，雅加達(dá)下沉速度類似。曼谷每年下沉多達(dá)12厘米，與北京類似。

英文來源：英國衛(wèi)報(bào)
翻譯&編輯：yaning