VOA常速英语:非洲非清洁能源影响居民健康

Patrick Mdluli developed lung problems shortly after he moved to South Africa’s coal mining heartland.
The mines, the dust, pollution. You go to the doctors. They ask you. They tell you the very same thing.
Are you living next to a mine? Yes, I’m. Are you living next to a dumping site? Yes, I am.
South Africa’s coal industry is in Mdluli’s backyard.
This past farming area of South Africa last year earned an unfortunate distinction of having the world’s worst air quality, says Greenpeace.
And it shows, says the head of one of Middleburg’s main clinics, children and adults are paying the ultimate price when we say ultimate price is the neural cognitive loss of neural cognitive development.
Children’s infant mortality rate is higher in our area than other areas, adults heart attacks and respiratory disease much higher.
So people are paying with their lives across the board because of these pollutants in the air.
Doctor Tayob blames the coal mining industry and poor governance.
Residents say the coal companies have done little to improve the community.
One cannot be faulted in thinking is there some level of corruption operating this area as well with these big boys are getting away with murder literally literally getting...
It’s just a reality. I mean I’d like somebody to to come up and dispute this fact and challenge me on there.

VOA contacted three of the area’s larger coal mines for comment. None responded.
Environmental activists Bafana Hlatshwayo is lobbying to shift to a cleaner resource ----the region’s abundant sunshine.
We’re not saying we want to close down the mines.
We must go the renewable energy way, so when we talk about their energy renewable a way we are saying people will manufacture solar panels inside South Africa, and they are the ones who supposed to install the solar panels and the other ones who are supposed to maintain the solar panels.
But that is a faraway dream from Mlludi and his neighbors who complain unemployment is high and all of them including the children have health problems.
The area they say used to be beautiful.
It’ s endless pollutant, now, booming.
It’s not the part anymore.
It’s an endless pollutant.
Coal powers the vast majority of South Africa’s power grid. It’s what keeps this country moving forward economically.
But for communities like this that live in the shadow of coal mines and lack basic services like electricity and running water, sometimes that progress seems very far away.
Powell VOA NEWS Middelburg South Africa.