The Breathing Space Improved Cooking Stoves Programme, India - VPA No. 06 Envirofit

Audit Analysis

The Breathing Space cookstove project (Gold Standard, AMS-II.G) has a VVB-verified additionality assessment and a quantified leakage deduction, but is undermined by 11 material findings, 8 corrective actions, a 19% gap between assumed and verified usage rates, and multiple cross-document contradictions in key parameters. The project-specific baseline, absence of a stated buffer pool, and non-conduct of FPIC further weaken the integrity profile. Documentation volume is adequate but quality is compromised by data inconsistencies and a flagged template tampering issue.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠11 material findings in the 2021 verification report, including an incorrect baseline stove usage formula, inconsistencies between survey questionnaires and ER spreadsheet data, and inconsistencies between WBT records and ER data
• ⚠Corrective action noting the PoA-DD template was 'tampered' with section numbers inconsistent with the Gold Standard template
• ⚠Usage rate assumed at 100% in the project design but verified at only 81.2% in the 2018 monitoring report, a 19% over-estimation of actual stove utilisation
• ⚠FPIC (Free, Prior and Informed Consent) was not conducted despite the project serving rural Indian households
• ⚠Leakage deduction changed from 5% (2015 verification) to 0.95% (2021 verification) without a clear methodological justification in the extracted record

Credit Vintages