I have not consumed a combined 2Liters of Coca Cola in the last ten years. Thats an astonishing amount of CC.
I was amazed at the amount as well. The article talks about how it was cheaper than water and more available. I can imagine that doing hard labor you'll drink almost anything to replenish the water you sweated out. Much less the people who are thirsty in the area will drink anything they can afford to get their hands on.