GS1247 VPA 308 - Togo Safe Water

Audit Analysis

The Togo Safe Water project (VPA 308 under PoA GS1247) is a Gold Standard safe-water/borehole avoidance project verified by SustainCERT, but the verification report (August 2024) reveals an extraordinary volume of material findings and corrective actions—over 60 of each—spanning ER calculation errors, water-quality-related monitoring gaps, SDG reporting inconsistencies, and unresolved forward action requests. Ten cross-document contradictions in key parameters (leakage, fNRB, ERR, crediting period, additionality test type) further undermine confidence in the data. The project's additionality is VVB-confirmed and no reversals have occurred, but the sheer density of unresolved issues and the low extraction confidence place it well below acceptable quality thresholds.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Over 60 material findings and 60+ corrective actions remain open in the verification report (Aug 2024), including ER calculation errors in Parameters Cj and Xboil, incorrect technology-days for boreholes with failed water-quality tests, and SDG impacts reported collectively for all 5 VPAs instead of individually
• ⚠Ten cross-document contradictions in key parameters (leakage justification, fNRB value and method, ERR, usage rate, additionality test type, crediting period, benefit sharing, reversal events, leakage deduction) indicate systemic data-reliability problems
• ⚠Leakage deduction is 0% in the verification report but 5% in the PDD; the justification is 'quantified' in the VR but 'deemed negligible' in the monitoring report—two different rationales for the same 0% figure
• ⚠min_extraction_confidence is rated 'low', meaning at least one key document was poorly readable, compounding the already extensive data gaps
• ⚠Multiple Forward Action Requests (FAR 01–05) remain open, including VPA-level SDG indicator evaluation and fNRB reporting, indicating the verification cycle is not yet closed

Credit Vintages