VOA常速英语2016--伊拉克人担心摩苏尔大坝溃坝

（单词翻译）

Iraqis Fear Collapse¹ of Poorly-maintained Mosul Dam 伊拉克人担心摩苏尔大坝溃坝

WASHINGTON—

More than a million Iraqis are in danger of being killed if the poorly maintained Mosul dam collapses² and the Tigris River rushes out.  The government began urgent maintenance work on the dam Thursday. Authorities have warned people who live along the Tigris to move at least six kilometers away from the banks

Maintenance work began Thursday to shore up the dam's weakening structure, undermined by years of conflict and neglect. Iraqis living near the Tigris River are worried.

"We are afraid and we don't know if it's true or not true that the dam could collapse. We are worried because we have family and kids. And we are stressed. We live very close to the Tigris," said a local man.

The dam needs regular maintenance because the ground underneath³ it is unstable⁴.  The government this week signed a $300-million deal with Italy's Trevi group to repair and maintain the structure for 18 months.  But many Iraqis fear the dam could collapse before the Italian engineers arrive and assemble their machinery⁵.

''It is certain that the rising water levels will have a negative impact on citizens. We hope the relevant authorities will work hard to resolve this problem in order not to let the water leak into commercial interests and homes of locals,” said Baghdad resident Raad al-Quraishi. 

As the snow melts, the water pressure grows. A gate was opened to ease some of the water pressure, raising the levels of the Tigris River.  But officials have downplayed the danger. 

"The quantities of water which flowed into the Tigris River have been utilized⁶ well in the agricultural plans drawn⁷ up by the Ministry⁸ of Water Resources in accordance with the Ministry of Agriculture. And big quantities of water have been used to flourish and revive the marshes⁹ which suffered a lot from water scarcity¹⁰ in the previous season," said Ali Radhi Thamir of the state committee on irrigation and drainage projects.

The U.S. Embassy said this week that the risk of the dam collapsing¹¹ is "serious and unprecedented¹²."  U.S. and Iraqi governments are working on a plan to evacuate¹³ as many as 1.5 million Iraqis living along the Tigris.

The dam deteriorated¹⁴ during the conflict, including a temporary capture by the Islamic State militants¹⁵. Its maintenance has remained insufficient¹⁶ in part because Islamic State still controls the factory that produces the cement for the dam's foundation.