导读:中科院院士提出南水北调新设想，利用大气通道，干预水汽输送，形成降雨，从而改善北方干旱问题。
"once the Tianhe Project is completed, it will be possible to transfer water in the air via an ‘air corridor.’ [The corridor] will be formed as part of the South-to-North Water Diversion project," said Wang Guangqian, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and president of Qinghai University. Wang introduced his proposal at a meeting on Sept. 9, which aimed to jumpstart the novel project.
青海大学校长、中科院院士王光谦指出：“一旦天河工程完工后，就有可能通过一个‘空中走廊’来调水。这个空中走廊将会成为南水北调工程的一部分。”在9月9日举行的一场会议上，王光谦介绍了他的这一提案，旨在启动这一天马行空的工程。
According to the project’s description, the atmospheric boundary layer and the troposphere form a passage through which water vapor can be transported in a stable and orderly way. The passage can be regarded as "tianhe" (literally, a river in the sky). The proposed undertaking has therefore been named "Tianhe Project."
根据工程描述，大气边界层和对流层形成有一个通道，通过这一通道可以稳定有序地输送水蒸气。这一通道可以被视为是“天河”（就如字面意思所讲，一条悬挂在天上的河流）。这个提议因此被命名为“天河工程”。
"We monitor the content and migration routes of water vapor, and then we conduct interference in certain regions to solve water shortages in northern China," Wang explained.
王光谦解释说：“我们可以对水蒸气的水质、以及调运的路线进行监控，然后对某些地区进行干预，从而解决中国北方水资源短缺的问题。”
According to the UN World Water Development Report, northern China will face a severe water shortage by 2025. The established eastern and middle routes of the South-to-North Water Diversion project, which began in 2002, have relieved that "thirst" to some degree. However, the western route is still a work in progress due to high altitude, complex terrain and fragile ecosystems. The air corridor proposition may offer an innovative solution to those challenges.
根据联合国《世界水发展报告》显示，到2025年的时候，中国北方将面临严重的水资源短缺问题。南水北调工程始于2002年，目前已经建成了东线和中线调水线路，在某种程度上缓解了这种“饥渴”。但是，由于高海拔、地形复杂、以及生态系统脆弱等问题，南水北调西线工程尚未建成。空中走廊的提议也许能够给这些问题提供一个创新的解决方案。
The South-to-North Water Diversion project is the world’s largest water diversion project, according to a Xinhua report. It was designed to transport water from the Yangtze River to dry regions in the north of the country. At its outset, the project was estimated to cost 500 billion yuan ($81.4 billion).
据新华社报道，南水北调工程是世界上最大的水资源调运工程。工程目标是要将长江水调运到中国北方缺水地区。在一开始，南水北调工程预计要耗费5000亿元人民币（约合814亿美元）。
Bao Weimin, a CAS academician and director of the Science and Technology Committee of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, believes the proposed Tianhe Project and future air corridor are natural next steps toward supporting the ecology of the Tibetan Plateau. Bao also hopes the project will promote national economic and social development, especially in northern China.
中国航天科技集团公司科学技术委员会主席、中科院院士包为民认为，天河工程、以及未来的空中走廊项目十分贴近自然，可以进一步保护青藏高原的生态系统。包为民同样希望这一工程将会促进国民经济和社会的发展，尤其是在中国北方。
Tianhe Project will attempt to increase annual precipitation in Sanjiangyuan (the birthplace of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang Rivers), the Qilian Mountains and the Qaidam region by 2.5 billion, 200 million and 120 million cubic meters respectively. Its long-term goal is to transfer 5 billion cubic meters of water per year.
天河工程将试图分别在三江源地区（长江、黄河、澜沧江的源头）、祁连山和柴达木地区每年增加降水量25亿立方米、2亿立方米和1.2亿立方米。天河工程的长期目标是要每年调运50亿立方米的水资源。
