So, first, a small housekeeping announcement:

從個人感情上來講，我建議我們先別立即轉到沙漠的討論中。

please switch off your

先來一點作為本場演講人的聲明：

proper English check programs

麻煩在座各位

installed in your brain.

關掉你們大腦中

(Applause)

固有的標準英語校對程序，把注意力從我的英語表達上轉移走。

So, welcome to the Golden Desert, Indian desert.

（掌聲）

It receives the least rainfall in the country,

好的，接下來就歡迎大家來到這片印度的黃金沙漠。

lowest rainfall.

這片沙漠是印度每年降雨量

If you are well-versed with inches, nine inches,

最少的地區。

centimeters, 16 [centimeters].

如果你熟悉用英吋來衡量的話，降雨量大概只有9英吋，

The groundwater is 300 feet deep, 100 meters.

用公分來衡量的話，大約不到23公分。

And in most parts it is saline, not fit for drinking.

地下水有30英呎深，大約100米。

So, you can't install hand pumps or dig wells,

而大多數地下水是鹽水，無法飲用的。

though there is no electricity in most of the villages.

這一地區的大多數村莊沒有通電，

But suppose you use the green technology, solar pumps --

因此，也無法安裝水泵或者挖井。

they are of no use in this area.

如果你想到可以用類似太陽能這樣的綠色能源技術來實現，

So, welcome to the Golden Desert.

但是在這個區域卻行不通。

Clouds seldom visit this area.

其實在這片金色沙漠中，

But we find 40 different names of clouds in this dialect used here.

很少會出現陰雲密佈的天氣。

There are a number of techniques to harvest rain.

但是這裡的方言有40種不同雲的叫法。

This is a new work, it's a new program.

沒錯，的確有些技術可以收集雨水。

But for the desert society

這是一種新的方法，或者説新項目。

this is no program; this is their life.

但是對於沙漠而言，

And they harvest rain in many ways.

這可不是什麼實驗項目，這就是沙漠上人的生活。

So, this is the first device they use

他們有很多收集雨水的辦法。

in harvesting rain.

這個就是他們一開始用來

It's called kunds; somewhere it is called [unclear].

收穫雨水的裝置。

And you can notice they have created

這個裝置叫做昆德（kunds），有些地方也叫xxx（聽不清楚）。

a kind of false catchment.

你會發現他們造了

The desert is there, sand dunes, some small field.

人工蓄水池。

And this is all big raised platform.

沙漠和沙坵依然存在，只有一小片田地。

You can notice the small holes

這一些片田地可是需要花很大力氣維護的

the water will fall on this catchment,

可以看到這裏有一些小洞，

and there is a slope.

水流到這些蓄水池上，

Sometimes our engineers and architects

然後順著斜坡流下去。

do not care about slopes in bathrooms,

現代的一些工程師和建築師

but here they will care properly.

都不太在意浴室裡的斜坡了，

And the water will go where it should go.

可是以前當地人卻正確地利用了斜坡。

And then it is 40 feet deep.

這樣水就會順勢流去。

The waterproofing is done perfectly,

而且通常都可以存儲大約40呎深。

better than our city contractors,

那裏的防止漏水工作做的很好，

because not a single drop should go waste in this.

真的好過我們現在城市里的那些承包商們，

They collect 100 thousand liters in one season.

因為對他們來説，任何一滴水都不能浪費。

And this is pure drinking water.

他們當時每個季節能存十萬升水。

Below the surface there is hard saline water.

而且這些都是可以飲用的純淨水。

But now you can have this for year round.

地表以下卻是含鹽的硬水。

It's two houses.

但是有了這些儲水裝置後，一年內都能有飲用水。

We often use a term called bylaws.

這有兩幢房子。

Because we are used to get written things.

我們經常用一個詞，叫做“法律規定”。

But here it is unwritten by law.

我們習慣把這些規定都寫下來，

And people made their house,

但是也有法律種沒有規定的。

and the water storage tanks.

人們建造自己的房子

These raised up platforms just like this stage.

和蓄水池。

In fact they go 15 feet deep,

這些凸起的臺子就像這個平臺一樣。

and collect rain water from roof,

事實上，這些臺子有15呎深，

there is a small pipe, and from their courtyard.

從屋頂收集雨水，

It can also harvest something like 25,000 in a good monsoon.

而且這裏有一根從花園里傳出來的小管子。

Another big one,

只要碰到雨量丰富的季節，也可以收穫大約兩萬五千升水。

this is of course out of the hardcore desert area.

另一個大的蓄水池，

This is near Jaipur. This is called the Jaigarh Fort.

當然這個也是從沙漠中來的，

And it can collect six million gallons of rainwater in one season.

离齋普爾很近，這地方叫做齋普爾要塞。

The age is 400 years.

它一個雨季就可以收集六百萬加侖的雨水。

So, since 400 years it has been giving you

它已經有400多年的歷史了。

almost six million gallons of water per season.

這麼看來，從四百年前它就開始每季

You can calculate the price of that water.

提供六百萬加侖的水給我們。

It draws water from 15 kilometers of canals.

你可以算算這說的價格不菲啊。

You can see a modern road, hardly 50 years old.

它從15公裡以外的運河引水而來。

It can break sometimes.

看看現在那些公路，還不到50年，

But this 400 year old canal, which draws water,

就經常損壞了。

it is maintained for so many generations.

但這條400年的引水老運河

Of course if you want to go inside, the two doors are locked.

經歷這麼多年代還依然完好無損。

But they can be opened for TED people.

當然你會想進進去看看，這兩扇門卻緊關着。

(Laughter)

但是他們可能會為TED的觀眾爾開的。

And we request them.

(笑聲)

You can see person coming up with

當然，這是我們申請下來的。

two canisters of water.

在圖上可以看到一個人提著

And the water level -- these are not empty canisters --

兩桶水上來了。

water level is right up to this.

可不是兩個空桶啊，

It can envy many municipalities,

正好慢慢兩桶水。

the color, the taste, the purity of this water.

很多市民都會羨慕這水的

And this is what they call Zero B type of water,

顔色，味道和它的純凈。

because it comes from the clouds,

這就是他們稱之為零B型的水，

pure distilled water.

因為它來自雲端，

We stop for a quick commercial break,

是經過萃取的純凈水。

and then we come back to the traditional systems.

我們停下來稍作廣告休息，

The government thought that this is a very

然後就再回到了那些傳統的系統中去。

backward area and we should bring

政府認為這裏是個發展非常

a multi-million dollar project

緩慢的地區，我們可以引進

to bring water from the Himalayas.

一項幾百萬美金的項目建造

That's why I said that this is a commercial break.

從喜馬拉雅山脈引水的工程。

(Laughter)

這就是為什麼我說這只是個廣告。

But we will come back, once again,

（笑聲）

to the traditional thing.

但是我們還會再回來探討的，

So, water from 300, 400 kilometers away,

就為了那些傳統的東西。

soon it become like this.

那麽，來自三十萬零四百公裡以外的水

In many portions, water hyacinth

很快將變成這樣。

covered these big canals like anything.

在很大程度上，鳳眼蘭

Of course there are some areas where water is reaching,

完全的蔓延着這些巨大的引水渠生長。

I'm not saying that it is not reaching at all.

當然了，這些是有引來的水可以覆蓋到的地區，

But the tail end, the Jaisalmer area,

我也不是説這樣引水來完全沒有用。

you will notice in Bikaner things like this:

但是在引水道的末端，也就是斋沙默尔地區，

where the water hyacinth couldn't grow,

你會在比卡內爾發現這樣的事情：

the sand is flowing in these canals.

鳳眼蘭根本無法生長，

The bonus is that you can find wildlife around it.

沙子卻流進了運河道。

(Laughter)

值得慶幸的是，這附近卻出現了野生動物。

We had full-page advertisements,

（笑聲）

some 30 years, 25 years ago when this canal came.

大約30年，或者25年前，當這些運河剛剛建成的時候，

They said that throw away your traditional systems,

我們用了整夜的廣告來宣傳。

these new cement tanks will supply you piped water.

勸告人們放棄這些傳統的蓄水係統，

It's a dream. And it became a dream also.

這些水泥蓄水池可以提供管道運來的水。

Because soon the water was not able to reach these areas.

這的確是個夢，但是夢想成真了。

And people started renovating their own structures.

因為很快這些水將無法到達這些區域。

These are all traditional water structures,

人們要開始革新他們以前來的蓄水結構了。

which we won't be able to explain in such a short time.

這些就是傳統的蓄水結構，

But you can see that no woman is standing on those.

我們無法在短時間內詳細解釋。

(Laughter)

但是你可以看到一個女人正站在蓄水池上面。

And they are plaiting hair.

（笑聲）

(Applause)

她們在梳辮子呢。

Jaisalmer. This is heart of desert.

（掌聲）

This town was established 800 years ago.

斋沙默尔是這片沙漠的核心地帶。

I'm not sure by that time

這座城鎮建於800年前。

Bombay was there, or Delhi was there,

我不知道那時候，

or Chennai was there, or Bangalore was there.

孟買， 德立，

So, this was the terminal point for silk route.

金奈，甚至班加羅爾是否已經誕生。

Well connected, 800 years ago, through Europe.

而且，這裡是絲綢之路的終點。

None of us were able to go to Europe,

這裏800年前就聯通了歐洲。

but Jaisalmer was well connected to it.

當時的人們都無法到達歐洲。

And this is the 16 centimeter area.

但是斋沙默尔已經很好的和歐洲聯通了。

Such a limited rainfall,

這個地區的降雨量是16公分。

and highest colorful life flourished in these areas.

如此有限的降雨量

You won't find water in this slide.

卻孕育這片地區無比豐富多彩的生活。

But it is invisible.

雖然你在這個幻燈片中看不到水，

Somewhere a stream or a rivulet

但是它卻隱含其中。

is running through here.

某些地方的小河或者小溪

Or, if you want to paint, you can paint it blue throughout

穿過這片地區。

because every roof which you see in this picture

如果你想把這一地區畫下來，你可以整個畫成藍色，

collects rainwater drops

因為你在這照片中看得到的房頂

and deposit in the rooms.

都可以收集雨水滴

But apart from this system,

然後在屋裡儲存。

they designed 52 beautiful water bodies around this town.

除了這些儲水系統外，

And what we call private public partnership

他們還在這個城鎮周圍建了52處美麗的儲水建築。

you can add estate also.

我們把他們叫做公私合營

So, estate, public and private entrepreneurs

你自己也可以加入。

work together to build this beautiful water body.

因此，房產開發商，公共事業和私人企業

And it's a kind of water body for all seasons.

合作建造了這片美麗的儲水体。

You will admire it. Just behold the beauty throughout the year.

而且這片儲水區可以一年四季儲水。

Whether water level goes up or down,

你可以好好欣賞它，仔細觀察它的四季之美。

the beauty is there throughout.

不管水面上升還是下降，

Another water body, dried up, of course,

它都一致美麗如常。

during the summer period,

這是另一個儲水池，沒錯，已經

but you can see how the traditional society

在夏季的時候乾涸了，

combines engineering with aesthetics, with the heart.

但是你依然可以看到傳統的社會

These statues, marvelous statues,

用心的將工程學和美學結合起來了。

gives you an idea of water table.

這些彫塑，了不起的彫塑，

When this rain comes and the water starts filling this tank,

向你標識出地下水位的位置。

it will submerge these beautiful statues

當有雨降落，水開始填入這些蓄水池的時候，

in what we call in English today "mass communication."

將淹沒這些美麗的彫塑

This was for mass communication.

在當代英語中，我們把這些彫塑叫做“大眾傳媒工具”。

Everybody in the town will know that this elephant has drowned,

這就是做為大眾傳媒工具而用的。

so water will be there for seven months or nine months,

城鎮中的每個人都知道這只大像被淹沒了，

or 12 months.

因此存儲的水可以用七到九個月，

And then they will come and worship this pond,

甚至十二個月。

pay respect, their gratitude.

接著他們將會前來膜拜這個池塘，

Another small water body, called the [unclear].

以示尊敬和感激。

It is difficult to translate in English,

另一個小的蓄水池，叫做“傑斯體”（聽音）。

especially in my English.

這個名字很難被翻譯成英語，

But the nearest would be "glory," a reputation.

特別是以我的英語水平。

The reputation in desert of this small water body is

但是最近的一個意思就是“繁榮”，這是一種殊榮啊。

that it never dries up.

它在這片沙漠中享有這種殊榮就是因為

In severe drought periods

它從來沒有乾涸過。

nobody has seen this water body

即使在非常嚴重的旱災期

getting dried up.

也沒人看到過這片蓄水池

And perhaps they knew the future also.

乾涸過。

It was designed some 150 years ago.

或許它也通曉未來。

But perhaps they knew that on sixth, November, 2009,

這是大約150年前設計的。

there will be a TED green and blue session,

但是或許當時的設計者知道在2009年11月6日，

so they painted it like this.

這裡將舉辦一場TED藍綠會議，

(Laughter)

因此他們就把它畫成了這樣。

(Applause)

（笑聲）

Dry water body. Children are standing on

（掌聲）

a very difficult device to explain.

這是一個乾涸的蓄水池，孩子們站在這個

This is called kund. We have, in English, surface water and ground water.

很難解釋清楚的裝置上面。

But this is not ground water.

這叫做“昆德（kund）”。在英語中，我們有地表水和地下水的說法。

You can draw ground water from any well.

但是這並不是地下水。

But this is no ordinary well.

從任何井裡都可以獲取地下水。

It squeeze the moisture

但這不是個普通的井。

hidden in the sand.

它是搾取藏在

And they have dubbed this water as the third one called [unclear].

沙子里的水份的。

And there is a gypsum belt running below it.

他們授予這片水域是第三個“黑加泥”（聽音譯）。

And it was deposited by the great mother Earth,

在這個井下面有一條石膏帶。

some three million years ago.

而且這里的水直接經過了地球母親的沉澱，

And where we have this gypsum strip

這都是大約三百年前的水了。

they can harvest this water.

哪裡有這種石膏帶，

This is the same dry water body.

他們就能在哪里收穫這些水。

Now, you don't find any kund;

這也是一個乾涸的儲水池。

they are all submerged.

如今，已經找不到一個昆德（kund）了，

But when the water goes down they will be able

他們已經被水淹沒了。

to draw water from those structures throughout the year.

但是一旦水流入蓄水池，他們就能

This year they have received only six centimeters.

整年的從蓄水池中吸取水資源。

Six centimeter of rainfall,

今年，他們只得到了6公分的降水。

and they can telephone you

即使只有六公分的降水量，

that if you find any water problem in your city,

他們也會給你打電話

Delhi, Bombay, Bangalore, Mysore,

詢問你所在的城市是否有任何水利用問題。

please come to our area of six centimeters, we can give you water.

德裡，孟買，班加羅爾，邁索爾，

(Laughter)

如果你那裡的供水有問題，請給我們這個只有六公分降雨量的地方打電話，我們可以給你水用。

How they maintain them?

（笑聲）

There are three things: concept, planning,

他們是如何堅持下去的呢？

making the actual thing, and also maintaining them.

有三個方面：觀念，計划，

It is a structure for maintain,

製造實體 與維護實體。

for centuries, by generations, without any department,

他們就這樣保持了

without any funding,

幾個世紀，代代相傳，沒有任何政府部門

So the secret is "[unclear]," respect.

和資金的支持。

Your own thing, not personal property,

因此秘訣就在於“佛塌”（印度語音譯），也就是尊重。

my property, every time.

你自己的財產，不是私人財產

So, these stone pillars

就是我的財產，所以隨時我都會尊重它。

will remind you that you are entering into a water body area.

這些石柱

Don't spit, don't do anything wrong,

會提示你正在進入一片儲水區。

so that the clean water can be collected.

別隨地吐痰，別做任何不該做的事情，

Another pillar, stone pillar on your right side.

這樣才能保持收集到乾淨的水。

If you climb these three, six steps

這是另一個石柱，就在你的右手邊。

you will find something very nice.

當你爬上三層或者六層台階，

This was done in 11th century.

你會發現一些很美妙的事情。

And you have to go further down.

這些圖形是11世界建造的。

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words,

你還要再走下去一些。

so we can say a thousand words right now,

有人說這樣一幅圖千言萬語也難以描述，

an another thousand words.

那麽我們現在就一千字

If the water table goes down,

一千字的來形容它。

you will find new stairs.

如果地下水位降低，

If it comes up, some of them will be submerged.

你就會看到新的台階浮出水面。

So, throughout the year

如果地下水位上漲，一些檯階就會被淹沒。

this beautiful system will give you some pleasure.

因此，整整一年

Three sides, such steps, on the fourth side

這種美麗的建筑係統都可以給你帶來歡樂。

there is a four-story building

這個水池的三面都是有這樣的檯階組成，在第四面

where you can organize such TED conferences anytime.

有一個四層的結構，

(Applause)

你可以隨時在哪裡舉辦TED會議。

Excuse me, who built these structures?

（掌聲）

They are in front of you.

不好意思問一下啊，是誰建造了這些結構呢？

The best civil engineers we had, the best planners,

他們就在你面前。

the best architects.

我們最優秀的民間工程師，最好的策劃人，

We can say that because of them,

也是最好的建築師。

because of their forefathers,

我可以說正是因為他們，

India could get the first engineering college

因為他們的祖先們，

in 1847.

印度才會在1847年就成立了

There were no English medium schools at that time,

第一所工程大學。

even no Hindi schools, [unclear] schools.

那時候還沒有英語授課的中學，

But such people, compelled to the East India Company,

也沒有北印度語授課學校。

which came here for business, a very dirty kind of business ...