GS1247 VPA 36 Improved Kitchen Regimes - Dowa Boreholes, Malawi

Audit Analysis

This Gold Standard borehole/kitchen-regime project in Malawi has confirmed additionality and no reversal events, but is undermined by an extraordinary volume of material findings, open corrective actions, and unresolved contradictions across key parameters. The 0% leakage deduction with a 'deemed negligible' justification is questionable for a multi-borehole water-supply project, and the 2% buffer pool is thin given documented borehole failures. Documentation quality is a significant concern, with dozens of CARs, CLs, and still-open FARs spanning multiple verification cycles.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Dozens of material findings, corrective actions, and open Forward Action Requests (FAR 01–05) across multiple verification cycles indicate persistent quality and compliance gaps
• ⚠0% leakage deduction justified as 'deemed negligible' contradicts an earlier verification report that described leakage as 'quantified' (5% in the PDD), and is questionable for a multi-borehole project where users may revert to other water sources
• ⚠Registry lists incorrect methodology (TPDDTEC v1) and SDGs for some VPAs; correction request submitted but not yet confirmed resolved
• ⚠Caps were imposed on ex-ante and monitored parameters (Wb,y, Wp,y, Up,y, user numbers) following a Gold Standard grievance review, suggesting original claims were not fully conservative

Credit Vintages