One of the world’s greatest rivers passes through Africa’s newest capital. Unlike much of the dry country, mango green Southern Sudan’s Juba does not look like it should have water problems. But the river is more than just murky; it is reputed to contain a wide variety of waterborne diseases. Most certainly — and most seriously — it carries cholera, the bacteria that has thousands in agony every year and kills dozens. Bottled water was one of the first products trucked in after the 2005 peace accord and because anyone with money will not risk drinking any other water, it became one of Juba’s most lucrative businesses. The cost of the product was also one of the first to stabilize across the town and then go down as a growth in the number of distributors pushed down prices for businesses buying the plastic bottles. Three and a half years out
