约翰内斯堡——在南非，已有超过500人因一种导致胃部绞痛和腹泻的胃肠道疾病而生病。当局将病因归咎于该国两个城市的水质问题。
MOGOMOTSI MAGOME JOHANNESBURG — Over 500 people in South Africa have fallen ill from a gastrointestinal illness that causes stomach cramps and diarrhea, which authorities are blaming on poor water quality in two different cities in the country.
本周，当局向首都比勒陀利亚以东的居民发出了警告，要求他们停止饮用自来水。此前已有包括儿童在内的408人因此生病，并接受了治疗。
Authorities this week issued a warning to communities east of the capital, Pretoria, to stop drinking water from their taps after 408 people including children fell ill and were treated at various health facilities.
与该国其他城市一样，比勒陀利亚及其郊区长期以来一直存在水质问题，这一问题也一直是一个具有争议性的政治议题。
Like other cities in the country, the capital and its suburbs have long had issues with the cleanliness of the region’s water, and it remains a contentious political issue.
周三，市政府官员通过应急供水车为居民提供饮用水；同时，慈善机构“Gift of the Givers”也为当地居民提供了瓶装水。
On Wednesday, city officials were distributing water to residents through emergency tankers, while the charity organization Gift of the Givers supplied the community with bottled water.
大多数患者是4岁以下的儿童。据卫生部门和市政府官员称，这些患者是在饮用了来自该水处理厂的受污染水后生病的。该水处理厂为比勒陀利亚以东的多个社区供水。
Most of those who fell ill were children under 4. According to health and city officials, the people fell ill after drinking contaminated water from a water treatment plant which supplies water to several communities east of Pretoria.
当局确认，该水处理厂的水已经大约三周没有经过氯化处理，因此不适合人类饮用。官员们表示，该市在从常规供应商处获取氯气方面遇到了困难。
Authorities confirmed that the water at the plant had not been chlorinated for about three weeks, rendering it unsafe for human consumption. Officials said the municipality had trouble obtaining chlorine from its usual supplier.
据悉，该水处理厂的水源来自布龙克霍斯特斯普鲁伊特河（Bronkhorstspruit River），这条河流因上游污水处理设施运行不善而受到严重污染。初步调查显示，相关部门未能及时向居民通报水质问题的严重性。
They said the plant gets water from the Bronkhorstspruit River, which is badly contaminated with sewage pollution from poorly functioning wastewater treatment plants upstream. An initial investigation revealed that officials failed to inform residents about the poor quality of the water.
茨瓦内市市长纳西菲·莫亚表示，调查发现市政府官员未能警告受影响地区，“供应的水未经过氯化处理，因此不应饮用或用于烹饪、洗涤或沐浴，即使煮沸后也不宜使用。”茨瓦内市包括比勒陀利亚及周边社区。多个政党呼吁莫亚辞职，并解雇其他官员，以对水污染事件负责。
Nasiphi Moya, mayor of the city of Tshwane, which includes Pretoria and surrounding communities, said that an investigation found that city officials had failed to warn affected areas “that the water being supplied had not been chlorinated and therefore should not be drunk or used for cooking, washing or bathing, even after boiling.”Various political parties have called for Moya to resign, and for other officials to be fired, to take responsibility for the water contamination.
在东开普省沿海城市格贝哈，罗德斯大学周三表示，过去几天至少有111名学生因胃肠道疾病接受治疗。大学和水务部门正在调查疫情成因，但也怀疑是水质问题所致。
In the coastal city of Gqeberha, in the Eastern Cape province, at least 111 students from Rhodes University have been treated for a gastrointestinal illness over the last few days, the university said Wednesday. University and water authorities were investigating the cause of the outbreak, but they also suspected it was due to the water quality.
大学发言人奥尔韦图·格万亚周三表示：“出现严重症状的学生已被送往医院就医，现已返回校园。”
“Students who experienced severe symptoms were taken to hospital for medical attention and have since returned to campus,” university spokesperson Olwetu Gwanya said on Wednesday.
校方敦促教职员工和学生保持警惕，在校内外都要注意安全用水、食品处理和个人卫生。
Staff and students were urged to remain vigilant and practice safe water use, food handling and personal hygiene, both on and off campus.
格万亚说：“这些措施包括饮用烧开后冷却的水或瓶装水，用安全的水准备食物和刷牙，避免食用冰块和用未经处理的水清洗的生食，并定期用肥皂和水洗手。”
“These measures include drinking boiled and cooled or bottled water, using safe water to prepare food and brush teeth, avoiding ice and uncooked food washed in untreated water and washing hands regularly with soap and water,” Gwanya said.