GS1247 VPA 263 Improved Kitchen Regimes Multi-Country PoA - Dowa Boreholes, Malawi

Audit Analysis

A Gold Standard borehole project in Malawi with VVB-confirmed additionality and no reported reversal events, but undermined by the absence of a buffer pool, a 0% leakage deduction deemed negligible for a project where boreholes have already failed, a project-specific baseline, and a large volume of unresolved corrective actions. The 97.3% verified-to-claimed ERR ratio is conservative, yet 11 cross-document contradictions and a negative SDG 5 impact (29–39% increase in water-collection time) raise material concerns about the robustness of the credit claims.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Leakage deduction is 0% and 'deemed negligible' in the 2025 verification report, while the 2025 PDD originally specified a 5% deduction; for a borehole project where communities can revert to baseline water sources, the zero deduction is aggressive.
• ⚠SDG 5 impact is reported as negative: a 29–39% increase in time spent collecting water and firewood compared to baseline, undermining the project's social-benefit narrative.
• ⚠Eleven contradictions across documents (leakage, fNRB method, usage monitoring method, additionality test type, crediting period, and others) indicate inconsistent record-keeping and raise data-reliability concerns.
• ⚠Five Forward Action Requests (FAR 01–05) at VPA level remain open, covering SDG indicator evaluation, fNRB reporting, and monitoring-option applicability.

Credit Vintages