Clean well water – less effort, fewer emissions
Eritrea Community Boreholes, Eritrea
The project rehabilitates existing community boreholes with hand pumps in rural areas of Eritrea and keeps them operational through a maintenance and repair system. This turns “somehow getting water” back into a reliable supply.
Households gain access to clean water from functioning wells—and need to boil it over an open fire far less often. That is where the climate impact comes from: less firewood used for water treatment means fewer emissions from combustion.
Emission reductions are captured through the Gold Standard process via monitoring (including usage/service records, water quality tests, and regular on-site checks at the boreholes) and are independently verified.
Technical project data – GS5125
Key facts about the borehole project at a glance.
| Parameter | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Project location | Eritrea; regions Zoba Maekel, Zoba Debub, Zoba Anseba | PDD, Section A.2.2 |
| Project type | Rehabilitation and operation/maintenance of community boreholes, providing safe drinking water access and avoiding boiling | Verification Report, Project Description |
| Project standard | Gold Standard for the Global Goals (GS4GG) | Verification Report, Basic Information |
| Methodology | Emission Reductions from Safe Drinking Water Supplies (ERSDWS), Version 1 | Validation Report (Renewal), Methodology |
| Project start | Start date in the project/crediting context: 22/09/2016 (start of CP1) | Validation Report (Renewal), Section D.3 |
| Crediting period | CP1: 22/09/2016 – 21/09/2023; CP2: 22/09/2023 – 21/09/2030 | Validation Report (Renewal), Section D.3 |
| Project status | Gold Standard project; monitoring/verification per monitoring period (e.g., MP4/MP5 reported) | Project Annual Report, Monitoring Summary |
| Type of technology | Boreholes with hand pumps; water supply provided without fuel use for water provision | PDD, Section A.3 |
| Type of water points / pump types | Primarily India Mark II; other possible pump types include India Mark III, Afridev, U3 modified | PDD, Section A.3 |
| Impact approach (Safe Water) | Avoided boiling through reliable borehole access → less firewood → fewer combustion emissions | Verification Report, Project Description |
| Rehabilitated water points (total) | By the end of the verified period: 163 rehabilitated boreholes (used for ER calculation) | Verification Report, Summary/Findings |
| Functionality of water points (monitoring) | Pumps are checked by the in-country team; maintenance/repairs are carried out in case of failures | Project Annual Report, Monitoring Summary |
| Households/people served (monitoring) | Example MP4: 50,055 additional people with access to safe water (SDG result) | Verification Report, SDG Results |
| Water quality & compliance (monitoring) | Water quality tests (boreholes & households) are conducted and documented | Project Annual Report, Monitoring Summary |
| Annual emission reductions | Example verified period 31/08/2022 – 21/09/2023: 94,928 tCO₂e | Verification Report, Summary |
| Main impact mechanism | Safe-water supply replaces boiling: less household firewood use → fewer combustion emissions | Verification Report, Project Description |
| Monitoring & verification | Monitoring includes Project/Usage Surveys, Water Quality Tests, 5-Minute Stroke Tests; independent verification | Project Annual Report, Monitoring Summary / Verification Report, Sampling & Tests |
| Carbon credit rating | No external project-specific rating indicated | Gold Standard Registry (project page): no rating stated |
| Carbon credit rating type | No external rating methodology indicated; assessment follows the Gold Standard rulebook | Gold Standard Registry (project page) |
| Article 6 authorisation (Paris Agreement) | No Article 6 authorisation / no corresponding adjustment (CA) indicated | Gold Standard Registry (project page) |
| CCP status (ICVCM) | No CCP status indicated | Project information/ICVCM: not indicated |
| Approach to double counting risks | Clear allocation via the GS registry (serial numbers, issuance & retirement); boreholes are uniquely identifiable in project logic (IDs/coordinates) | PDD, Section A.2.4 |
| Additionality | Implementation/continued operation of boreholes justified through climate finance (certificate revenues as an enabler) | PDD, Section A.1 |
| Long-term nature of emission reductions | Impact arises from multi-year availability of safe water (operation/maintenance as the core approach) | Verification Report, Project Description |
| Permanence of climate impact | Usage-dependent emission avoidance (no physical permanence like removal/sink projects) | Methodology (ERSDWS v1), General approach |
| Risk management & safeguards | Maintenance/repairs; monitoring tests (incl. 5MST) and conservative approaches incl. documented deviations/decisions | Project Annual Report, Monitoring Summary / Verification Report, Deviations/Tests |
| Social & environmental safeguards | Gold Standard safeguard system incl. stakeholder consultation and grievance mechanisms | Local Stakeholder Consultation Report / Gold Standard Safeguards |
What the project can contribute
Here we summarize what the project is actually intended to achieve and which practical improvements it can enable.
- 1
Making boreholes usable again – stabilising supply
In Eritrea, community boreholes with hand pumps are repaired and brought back into operation. The focus is not on “building new,” but on what is often decisive: restoring existing infrastructure so it reliably delivers water again.
- 2
Less boiling – lower firewood use
When safe water is reliably available from the borehole, households treat it over an open fire less often. This reduces demand for firewood/biomass—and therefore emissions from combustion.
- 3
Easing daily life – time, distance, costs
A functioning borehole within reach can shorten water collection routes and reduce day-to-day effort. At the same time, less boiling means less time and cost spent on obtaining fuel. That makes access to water more predictable—especially in rural communities.
- 4
Securing long-term impact – maintenance instead of a one-off fix
The project is designed for multi-year operation: inspections, repairs and clear responsibilities help prevent boreholes from failing again after a short time. This “operations logic” is what determines lasting impact.
- 5
Supporting health – through clean water
Reliable access to safe drinking water reduces risks linked to unsafe water sources. In addition, if boiling is needed less often, indoor smoke exposure can decrease—where cooking/heating with biomass has been part of daily life.
Global climate relevance
Climate impact through “avoidance” – a distinct and meaningful lever
Not every climate contribution comes from building new energy assets. Safe-water projects reduce avoided emissions: when less firewood is needed for boiling, emissions fall where they actually occur—in everyday life.
Scalable because it uses existing infrastructure
The project does not rely on “building everything new,” but on reactivating existing boreholes. This approach is transferable across many regions: broken water points are widespread, and repair + operation can often be scaled faster than new construction.
Climate impact plus resilience – less dependence on fuel supply chains
If households need to boil less, they are less dependent on firewood availability and fuel prices. That makes water provision more robust—especially during crises, shortages, or rising costs. Climate impact and resilience go hand in hand here.
Bringing “proof logic” to an everyday sector
Household-level projects are often seen as hard to pin down. Here, the effect is translated into a standardised evidence logic (Gold Standard, monitoring, verification, registry processes). That makes the contribution more comparable—and more useful for companies.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – The relevant and the complementary contributions
Beyond the documented greenhouse-gas reductions achieved by avoiding the boiling of drinking water, the project in Eritrea strengthens essential everyday services in a very practical way: repaired boreholes, reliable access to clean water, and an operational approach that considers functionality and maintenance. In doing so, the project supports several goals of the UN Sustainable Development Agenda (Sustainable Development Goals). The most significant contributions are to SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and SDG 13 (Climate Action). Other goals are supported as complementary or indirect effects; some are considered marginal contributions.
The project rehabilitates community boreholes with hand pumps and keeps them operational through maintenance and repairs. This creates reliable access to safe water—not just occasionally, but on an ongoing basis.
Contribution: Improved access to safe drinking water through functioning boreholes.The climate impact follows a clear mechanism: when water no longer needs to be boiled regularly, demand for firewood/biomass decreases—and so do emissions from combustion. Emission reductions are reported in a traceable way under the Gold Standard process.
Contribution: Measurable greenhouse-gas reductions through avoided fuel use for water treatment.Safe drinking water reduces risks linked to contaminated water. In addition, where boiling becomes less frequent, indoor smoke exposure can decrease—especially where biomass use has been part of daily life.
Contribution: Indirect health benefits through access to safe water and potentially reduced indoor smoke.In many households, water collection and water treatment are largely handled by women and girls. A functioning borehole within reach can reduce time, distance and daily burden.
Contribution: Potential reduction in time and travel burden for households (context-dependent, but typical for water projects).Avoided boiling means less fuel is used. This does not directly change consumption patterns “at scale,” but it is a clear everyday efficiency gain.
Contribution: More resource-efficient use of biomass/fuels due to lower demand.If less firewood is needed, pressure on local wood resources may decrease. This remains supportive and is not a direct conservation mechanism of the project.
Contribution: Potentially reduced pressure on wood resources due to lower fuel demand.
How CO₂ Savings Are Generated
Safe drinking water from functioning boreholes changes a very concrete everyday step: water needs to be treated over an open fire less often. That is exactly where the climate impact comes from. If less firewood or other biomass is burned, combustion-related emissions decrease.
The avoided amount of fuel can be quantified—and forms the basis for issuing carbon credits.
In many communities, boiling is common whenever water sources are unsafe or unreliable. The project therefore tackles the system itself: it brings community boreholes with hand pumps back into operation and keeps them working over the long term through maintenance, inspections and repairs. The more reliable access to borehole water becomes, the less boiling is needed—and the lower household fuel use falls.
For quantification, two situations are compared: Without the project (baseline): typical boiling behaviour and the associated fuel use. With the project (project scenario): changed water treatment behaviour thanks to reliable access to safe borehole water.
The difference results in the avoided fuel use and—using recognised emission factors—the avoided CO₂e emissions. Assumptions and results are reviewed and updated regularly. This is how the carbon credits are generated.
Context and Transparency
The borehole project is registered under the Gold Standard for the Global Goals (GS4GG). Reported emission reductions are based on verified monitoring data and an approved safe-water methodology (ERSDWS v1 – Emission Reductions from Safe Drinking Water Supplies). Impact is tracked through monitoring (including borehole functionality, usage evidence, and water quality testing) and is independently verified under the standard.
Legally secure offsetting and measurable impact
Today, climate action needs one thing above all: evidence that holds up—internally and externally. natureOffice supports companies in preparing solid emissions accounts and implementing compensation in a way that remains auditable and communication-proof.
We start with a reliable data foundation: Corporate Carbon Footprints (CCF) and Product Carbon Footprints (PCF)based on established standards—supporting reporting (e.g., VSME) and clear, transparent communication.
And for compensation, we focus on what matters later: retirement in the registry, clean project documentation, a traceable methodology, and an evidence package you can easily share internally and externally. Gold Standard projects like this borehole project in Eritrea deliver exactly that proof logic: everyday impact—and a verification pathway that remains transparent.