Dig deeper：Extinguishing the Darvaza crater - the ''Gateway to Hell''
【明報專訊】Known as the ''Gateway to Hell'', the fire in the Darvaza crater(達爾瓦扎天然氣長燃坑洞) has been burning for decades, with no signs of burning out. This famous tourist spot in Turkmenistan(土庫曼) was discovered by the Soviet Union in 1971. They intended to make it a substantial oil field site. However, the drilling operation went wrong and poisonous gas was released, so experts suggested using fire to prevent further gas leakage. The fire was estimated to burn for weeks, but it has burned for more than 50 years instead.
The crater is located in the middle of the Karakum Desert (卡拉庫姆沙漠) . Tourists around the globe have been visiting the crater and it has become the most famous tourist spot in Turkmenistan. Yet, President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has reportedly ordered a closure of the crater with a plan to extinguish the fire. What are the rationales ?
◆How big is the crater?
Its diameter is reaching 70 meters and its depth is around 30 meters.
◆Why did the President order to extinguish the fire?
The order was made to protect the health of people living nearby, to prevent the waste of valuable natural gas resources and to cease the environmental damage. However, some people interpreted that the underlying reason was the unsatisfactory number of visitors - the number of tourists visiting Turkmenistan is believed to have been in the low tens of thousands even before the pandemic.
Where is Turkmenistan located?
It is located in Central Asia, bordering Iran in the southwest and Afghanistan in the southeast. Its economy is primarily supported by the industries related to the extraction of crude resources, like oil and natural gas. To facilitate the trading of natural gas to neighboring countries, the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project was launched in 2020, with the construction of gas pipelines, electric and fiber-optic communication lines and railways with the corresponding countries. There are also several existing pipeline networks like the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan-China gas pipeline.
■ Gear up
1. Turkmenistan is an Asian country.
(True/ False)
2. The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project is the first pipeline project launched in Turkmenistan.
(True/ False)
(Answers on next text)
■Glossary
decade (n) 十年
leakage (n) 泄漏
closure (n) 關閉
unsatisfactory (adj) 不令人滿意的
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[Smarties' Power English 第335期]
