官方預警!長江洪澇風險不斷升級!
Flooding risk rising on the Yangtze, officials warn
官方預警長江洪澇風險不斷升級20 percent more rainfall is possible in river’s middle reaches; El Nino also could play a role.
長江中游地區降雨量超出往年的20%，厄爾尼諾可能是主因。
The chances of heavy flooding have increased on the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, officials warned on Tuesday.
本週二，官方發佈預警，長江中下游地區強洪澇風險不斷升級。
They said river basin areas could be hit by more downpours and extreme weather conditions than in previous years.
他們表示，長江流域會受到強降雨和極端天氣的影響，今年的強降雨和極端天氣明顯比往年多。Middle reaches of Yangtze basin areas could receive 20 percent more rainfall than before, according to the hydro-graphic office of the Changjiang Water Resources Commission.
長江水利委員會水文局稱，長江中游地區降雨量超出往年的20%。Extreme weather conditions, including strong winds and downpours, have been blamed for the capsizing of a Yangtze cruise ship with 456 people on board on Monday evening. The vessel overturned on a section of the river near Jianli county, Hubei province, which lies on the middle reaches of the Yangtze.
極端天氣，包括大風強降雨，正是週一晚上載有456人客船在長江傾覆的原因。客船在長江中游湖北省監利段傾覆。Jianli county and nearby areas were hit by torrential downpours on Monday night, with the county reporting precipitation of 158.8 mm within nine hours. Moderate to strong rainfall was forecast for the county on Tuesday night, the China Meteorological Administration said in a statement.
週一晚，監利縣和周邊地區受到暴雨襲擊，該縣報道，9小時降雨量達158.8mm。中國氣象局預報週二監利縣將會有中到大雨。The downpours increased water levels on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, with the water resources commission reducing water discharged from the Three Gorges Dam to aid the rescue and recovery effort.
受降雨影響，長江中游水位不斷升高，水利委員會已減少三峽大壩排水以幫助救援和恢復工作。Since the river basin areas received less rainfall in April and early May, the chances increased that precipitation will be concentrated in June, July and August, the major flooding season on the Yangtze.
由於長江流域4月和5月初降水量較少，降水集中在長江主要汛期6月、7月和8月的可能性越來越大。El Nino - a warming of sea surface temperatures in the Pacific that affects wind patterns - could also play a major role in the coming months, according to the meteorological administration.
氣象局表示，厄爾尼諾，即太平洋海面溫度升高從而影響到風向，會對未來幾個月產生重大影響。In 1998, El Nino caused the country’s worst flooding on the Yangtze in half a century, killing thousands of people.
1998年，厄爾尼諾引發了半個世紀以來長江最嚴重的一次洪水，千萬人喪生。The strong rainfall this year has already resulted in flooding on a number of Yangtze tributaries, including the Ganjiang River in Jiangxi province and the Xiangjiang River in Hunan province.
今年的強降雨已經引發了大量長江支流河水氾濫，包括江西的贛江和湖南的湘江。
