Project Number

GS 11134

Standard

Gold Standard

Technology Type

Safe Water (Borehole Rehabilitation)

Project Location

Provides safe water through borehole rehabilitation and chemical disinfection when required

Decreases consumption of forest biomass for boiling water, protecting the forest ecosystem and improves water and indoor air quality, helping improve health

Project Description: Safe Water, Rwanda | GS11134

Many in Rwanda’s Southern Province rely on boreholes to provide clean water

Poor maintenance of these boreholes has resulted in many falling into disrepair

In Rwanda, 31% of people lack clean water access and about 3,000 children die each year from diarrhea

This project (Voluntary Project Activity, VPA03, part of the Programme of Activities (PoA) GS 10959 “Safe Water Programme in Africa and Asia“) consists of the maintenance and repair of 30-100 hand-pumped boreholes

In cooperation with a local NGO, safe water is provided to local communities, ensuring water quality requirements are met

Replacement hand pumps are locally made

Chemical disinfection is used where water tests indicate quality requirements aren’t met after maintenance is completed

Project’s boundary is the boundary of communities using the boreholes maintained by the project

Prior to the project, local communities used fossil fuel and/or non-renewable biomass to boil water for purification

Sustainability Beyond Carbon

The project generates an array of sustainability outcomes, beyond just avoiding the release of CO2 from the burning of unsustainably sourced firewood

Safe drinking water reduces the use of boiling for water purification

The fuels used are fossil fuels or sourced unsustainably from surrounding forests, so reduced fuel use lowers the amount of biomass removed, helping maintain carbon stocks and biodiversity

Having access to safe and clean drinking water helps:

• improve the hygiene, social, economic and environmental issues of the water cycle in rural areas
• reduce indoor air pollution and associated health issues from boiling water
• avoid many health problems linked to the use of unsafe drinking water like diarrhoea, intestinal infections and parasites

Typically, without the project, women and girls do the unpaid work of fetching and purifying water, minimising the time available to them for paid work, study, rest and social interaction