GS1247 VPA 219 Central and Western Uganda Safe Water Project

Audit Analysis

The Central and Western Uganda Safe Water Project has confirmed additionality and a named VVB, but is undermined by severe operational failures (multiple boreholes drying up or going non-functional, repeated water-quality test failures), a 38.5% gap between claimed and verified emissions reductions, and an extensive list of 7 corrective actions and 13 clarification letters raised during verification. The project's data quality and internal consistency are poor, with numerous contradictions across documents on leakage, usage rates, crediting periods, and ERR figures.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Multiple boreholes went non-functional or dried up (NAK008 removed from ER calculations; NAK012 non-functional for 138 days in 2023), directly undermining the project's ability to deliver claimed water-safety benefits
• ⚠Water quality tests failed for boreholes NAK007, MAS038, Namaasa, and Molwe across multiple monitoring periods, calling into question the 'safe water' claim
• ⚠Claimed ERR of 7,928 tCO2e versus verified 4,876 tCO2e represents a 38.5% over-claim for the monitoring period
• ⚠Leakage deduction was reduced from 5% in the PDD to 0% in the verification report with only a 'deemed negligible' justification, despite the project type (distributed boreholes) presenting plausible leakage pathways
• ⚠7 corrective actions and 13 clarification letters were issued during verification, indicating systemic data-quality and reporting problems

Credit Vintages