GS11638 GS11639 RVPA-1 SPOUTS Water Purifier Programme in Africa- WPS in Rwanda-VPA 6

Audit Analysis

The SPOUTS water purifier project in Rwanda has a VVB-verified combined additionality test and a quantified 5% leakage deduction, but is undermined by a project-specific baseline, absence of any buffer pool or permanence mechanism, and a critical contradiction in the fNRB value (88.72 in the 2026 verification report versus 0.9682 in the 2023 validation report) that raises serious over-crediting concerns. Multiple material findings, a water-quality testing deviation, and a long list of corrective actions further erode confidence in the integrity and reliability of the claimed emission reductions.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠fNRB value contradicts between documents: 88.72 (2026 verification report) vs 0.9682 (2023 validation report) — a ~92× discrepancy that, if unresolved, could indicate massive over-crediting
• ⚠No buffer pool or permanence mechanism is stated in any available document for an avoidance-type project where filter breakage (212 beneficiaries affected) is a documented reversal risk
• ⚠Water quality testing covered only E. coli, deviating from the host-country standard requiring Salmonella and Shigella; a temporary deviation is pending
• ⚠ERR figures contradict between two verification reports: 21,189 (March 2026) vs 54,827 (September 2025), with no clear explanation for the ~61% difference
• ⚠Baseline is project-specific with no documented reassessment date, and the fNRB is sourced from a national default whose value is in dispute across documents

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