GS1247 VPA 209 Sierra Leone Safe Water

Audit Analysis

This Gold Standard safe water project in Sierra Leone has VVB-confirmed additionality and no reversal events, but is undermined by severe operational failures (4,193 non-functional borehole days, two retired boreholes, a failed water quality test), a project-specific baseline, a 0% leakage deduction that contradicts the PDD's 5% figure, and a complete absence of an exit strategy. The verified emission reductions (18,707 tCO2e) are substantially below PDD estimates, indicating the project is under-delivering rather than over-crediting, but the operational fragility raises serious questions about long-term integrity.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠4,193 non-functional borehole days across VPAs and 615 failure days in the monitoring period indicate chronic operational fragility
• ⚠Two boreholes retired and one failed a water quality test during the crediting period
• ⚠No exit strategy or phase-out plan documented, posing serious risk to beneficiaries if the project ends
• ⚠Leakage deduction reduced from 5% in the PDD to 0% in the verification report with only a 'deemed negligible' justification
• ⚠Emission reductions significantly below PDD estimates due to Gold Standard grievance-review caps on fuel consumption and user numbers

Credit Vintages