GS1247 VPA 268 - Burkina Faso Safe Water

Audit Analysis

A Gold Standard safe-water project in Burkina Faso with confirmed additionality and no reversal events, but severely undermined by an extensive list of material findings, data-quality corrections, security-driven monitoring gaps, and a project-specific baseline with a 0% leakage deduction that contradicts the original PDD. The verified ERR is below the initial claim, which is reassuring, but the sheer volume of unresolved corrective actions and open follow-up items raises significant concerns about the robustness of the underlying data.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Dozens of material findings across validation, verification, and monitoring stages, including calculation errors, missing evidence, and template non-compliances that remain partially unresolved
• ⚠Security situation (terrorist attacks, displacement) has reduced water-quality testing frequency and monitoring access, with an approved deviation in place
• ⚠8 boreholes removed from the project and 8 failed water-quality tests, indicating operational fragility
• ⚠Leakage deduction reduced from 5% in the PDD to 0% in the 2026 verification report with only a 'deemed negligible' justification

Credit Vintages