The town on the banks of the Nile that turned floods into fortune

Bor was entirely submerged when the White Nile broke its banks in late 2020. Although used to its seasonal overflow – bor means flood in the Dinka language – it was flooding people here had not seen for 60 years.

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“In 2020, the major flood emergency really eroded the infrastructure, including the water-supply system, and that left the community hugely vulnerable to waterborne diseases,” says Thewodros Mulugeta, Unicef’s chief of water, sanitation and hygiene (Wash) in South Sudan.

“So the initial phase of the project started as a humanitarian, critical emergency response. Then there was a strategic shift to finding long-term, durable solutions to the water supply.”

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It has brought jobs – 30 core staff have been trained for the plant – electricians, pump mechanics, plumbers and lab technicians to test the water quality, with accountants to oversee revenue. Manager John Jurkuch Yaak is confident in the plant’s sustainability after international partners withdraw: “We won’t let anybody down,” he says.