Well water instead of boiling – climate impact in everyday life
Kaliro Safe Water, Uganda
The project restores existing wells (boreholes with hand pumps) in rural communities in the Kaliro District and keeps them operational over the long term through a maintenance programme.
This gives households access to clean water from functioning wells without having to boil it over an open fire on a regular basis. 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 user lists, water quality tests and regular on-site checks at the wells) and are independently verified.
Technical project data – GS 10726 (PoA 1247)
Key facts about the safe water project at a glance.
| Parameter | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Project location | Uganda, Kaliro District (rural communities in the district) | Monitoring Report (MP2/MP3), Section A.2 |
| Project type | Rehabilitation & maintenance of boreholes/hand pumps (Safe Water Supply / Community Service Activity) to ensure access to drinking water and avoid boiling | Verification Report (MP2/MP3), Section 1.2 |
| Project standard | Gold Standard for the Global Goals (GS4GG) | Gold Standard Registry / Verification Report, Section 1.3 |
| Methodology | Technologies and Practices to Displace Decentralized Thermal Energy Consumption (Version 3.1) – applied to safe-water interventions | Verification Report, Methodology/Criteria section |
| Project start | Project activities (rehabilitation/service) prior to or at the beginning of the respective monitoring periods in the project area | Monitoring Report, Section A.1 |
| Crediting period | PoA/VPA approach under Gold Standard; emission reductions are reported and verified per monitoring period | Gold Standard Registry / Verification Report, Section 3.1 |
| Project status | Registered and verified Gold Standard project; actively reported | Gold Standard Registry / Verification Report |
| Type of technology | Non-electric water infrastructure: boreholes with hand pumps; operated under a maintenance/service concept | Monitoring Report, Technology/Implementation section |
| Type of water points / pump types | Hand pumps on boreholes; typical pump types in the project context (e.g., Uganda 3 Modified, India Mark II, Afridev) | Monitoring Report, Technology/Implementation section |
| Impact approach (Safe Water) | Avoided boiling of drinking water through reliable access to safe water; therefore lower fuel use and fewer combustion emissions | Monitoring Report, Methodology/Impact section |
| Rehabilitated water points (total) | 50 boreholes/hand pumps rehabilitated or brought back into operation within the project bundle | Monitoring Report, Section A.1 |
| Functionality of water points (monitoring) | Operational status/functionality tracked through regular on-site checks and maintenance (basis for “reliable access”) | Monitoring Report, Monitoring/O&M section |
| Households/people served (monitoring) | Number of households/people with access to safe water (SDG indicators; reported per monitoring period) | Verification Report (MP2/MP3), Section 3.1 |
| Water quality & compliance (monitoring) | Evidence of water-quality/compliance checks (e.g., tests/checks) to substantiate “safe water” within the project context | Monitoring Report, Monitoring/Quality section |
| Annual emission reductions | Emission reductions are reported per monitoring period; based on avoided boiling due to access to safe water | Verification Report (MP2/MP3), Section 3.1 |
| Main impact mechanism | Avoided boiling of drinking water → lower fuel consumption → fewer emissions; enabled by permanently functioning water points | Monitoring Report, Methodology/Impact section |
| Monitoring & verification | Regular monitoring (functionality checks/maintenance, usage tracking, quality/compliance checks) and independent verification under the Gold Standard process | Monitoring Report, Monitoring section + Verification Report |
| Carbon credit rating | No external project-specific carbon credit rating currently indicated | Registry/project documents: no rating stated |
| Carbon credit rating type | No external rating methodology applied/communicated; assessment follows the Gold Standard rulebook | Registry/project documents |
| Article 6 authorisation (Paris Agreement) | No Article 6 authorisation indicated | Gold Standard Registry / project documents |
| CCP status (ICVCM) | No CCP classification at project level currently indicated | ICVCM/project information: not indicated |
| Approach to double counting risks | Clear allocation via the Gold Standard registry (serial numbers, issuance & retirement in the registry) | Gold Standard Rules / registry logic |
| Additionality | Project financing/scaling justified under Gold Standard additionality logic | Project design / Additionality assessment (GS) |
| Long-term nature of emission reductions | Impact arises from multi-year availability of safe water (continuous operation through maintenance/service; ongoing use) | Monitoring Report, Implementation & O&M approach |
| Permanence of climate impact | Usage-dependent emission avoidance (no physical permanence as in removal/sink projects) | Typical for safe-water/avoidance projects |
| Risk management & safeguards | Maintenance and repair concept, regular controls, conservative monitoring assumptions, independent verification; safeguards per GS | Monitoring Report + Verification Report + GS safeguards |
| Social & environmental safeguards | Gold Standard safeguard system (social/environmental protections; stakeholder logic) | Gold Standard for the Global Goals / project documents |
What the project can contribute
Here we summarize what the project is actually intended to achieve and which practical improvements it can enable.
- 1
Functioning boreholes instead of daily improvisation
In Kaliro District, existing boreholes with hand pumps are repaired and brought back into reliable operation. This is the foundation for everything else: access to water that does not depend on chance.
- 2
Avoiding boiling – reducing fuel use
When water is reliably available from the borehole, it needs to be treated over an open fire far less often. That reduces the demand for firewood/biomass—and therefore emissions from combustion.
- 3
Cutting the time and cost burden for households
Collecting and treating water takes time and money in many households. A functioning borehole nearby shortens walking distances, reduces effort, and makes water access more predictable—especially for those who typically manage water collection.
- 4
Securing long-term supply – maintenance instead of a one-off fix
The project does not focus on repairs alone. It is built around operational reliability: maintenance, inspections and repairs are part of the concept. That keeps the impact stable even after the initial rehabilitation.
- 5
Reducing health risks and indoor exposure
Safe water lowers risks linked to contaminated drinking water. And if boiling is needed less often, indoor smoke exposure can also decrease. These are not “side effects” but tangible improvements in everyday life.
Global climate relevance
Climate action that starts at an everyday source
A significant share of emissions does not come only from industry and transport, but from everyday routines—where water is heated and fuel is burned. Safe-water projects target exactly this point through avoided boiling.
Documented and verifiable
The climate impact is not “felt” or assumed. Under Gold Standard, usage, borehole functionality and key project parameters are documented through monitoring and checked through independent verification.
Long-term impact needs operations—not just construction
For water projects, maintenance determines success. Climate impact accrues over years, but only if boreholes keep working. That is why maintenance and control systems are not an add-on—they are the lever.
Climate finance where it changes daily life
Funding comes from the climate market; the impact happens on the ground: less fuel demand, fewer emissions and better access to safe water. That makes climate action concrete—and internationally shareable.
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 Kaliro project strengthens essential everyday services in a very practical way: functioning boreholes, less effort for households, and more reliable water management through maintenance and ongoing operation. 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 indirectly or as additional effects; some are considered marginal contributions.
The project rehabilitates boreholes with hand pumps and keeps them operational through a maintenance programme. This provides households with reliable access to safe water—without daily improvisation.
Contribution: Improved access to safe drinking water through functioning water points.The climate impact follows a clear mechanism: when water no longer needs to be boiled regularly, the use of firewood/biomass decreases—along with emissions from combustion. Emission reductions are reported in a way that is monitorable and verifiable under the Gold Standard process.
Contribution: Measurable greenhouse-gas reductions through avoided fuel use for water treatment.Safe water reduces health risks linked to unsafe drinking water. At the same time, where boiling becomes less frequent, indoor smoke exposure can also decrease.
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 and physical burden and ease daily routines.
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 a supportive effect 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
Reliable access to safe water from functioning boreholes reduces the need to boil drinking water on a regular basis. That is 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 households, boiling is a daily routine whenever water sources are unsafe or unreliable. This project therefore tackles the root cause: it restores water supply through boreholes and keeps them operational over time through maintenance and regular checks. The more stable access to safe water becomes, the less boiling is needed—and the lower household fuel consumption falls.
For quantification, two situations are compared: Baseline: how much water would typically be boiled without the project (and the fuel required). Project scenario: how water treatment behaviour changes with reliable access to 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
This safe-water project is registered under the Gold Standard for the Global Goals (GS4GG). The reported emission reductions are based on verified monitoring data and an approved Gold Standard methodology (TPDDTEC v3.1, applied to safe-water interventions where boiling is avoided). Impact is tracked through monitoring (e.g., borehole functionality, usage data, and quality/compliance checks) and is independently verified under the standard.
Legally robust compensation
Today, climate action is no longer only a matter of good intentions—it is about evidence and claim safety. natureOffice supports companies in building solid emissions accounts and implementing compensation in a way that remains auditable and communication-proof.
It starts with a reliable data foundation: we prepare Corporate Carbon Footprints (CCF) and Product Carbon Footprints (PCF) based on common standards—supporting reporting (e.g., VSME) and clear, transparent communication.
For compensation, we focus on what matters later: retirement in the registry, clean project documentation, a traceable methodology, and an evidence package you can share internally and externally. Gold Standard projects like Kaliro deliver exactly this: everyday impact backed by a proof logic that meets today’s transparency expectations.