In eastern Uganda, access to water can change the destiny of a community. It is from this awareness that Safe Water in Uganda was born — a project launched on 1 December 2021 to bring safe drinking water to the most vulnerable rural areas of the country's south-east.

Here, 81 per cent of the population struggles to find safe water sources, which means long daily walks to fetch water. More than 32 per cent of Ugandans spend over 30 minutes reaching a safe drinking source, and in 70 per cent of cases it is women and girls who bear this burden. Time taken away from school, work, and the possibility of building economic independence.

The goal of Safe Water in Uganda

The goal of Safe Water in Uganda is to reduce the distance between people and water. The project, developed by Net Zero together with local partner ISAR and certified Gold Standard (GS12015), has seen the construction of 61 new wells across eleven vulnerable districts, including Bugweri, Kamuli, Jinja, Mayuge, Luuka and Pallisa.

The wells, drilled manually or at depth and fitted with India Mark II pumps, use zero-emission technologies. The water they provide is safe to drink without boiling — a detail not to be overlooked, given that today many families are forced to use firewood or charcoal to make water safe, fuelling deforestation, climate-altering emissions and indoor pollution. Eliminating this step means easing pressure on ecosystems and household economies.

Each facility can now serve up to 1,200 people, for an estimated total of nearly 73,000 direct beneficiaries, within a potential catchment area of over 187,000 residents. Access to safe water also helps reduce the spread of waterborne diseases — particularly intestinal infections that mainly affect children — and improves the overall hygiene and sanitation conditions of communities.

The project's benefits

• Access to safe drinking water;
• Reduction of CO2 emissions caused by water boiling;
• Reduction of deforestation from fuel collection;
• Improved indoor air quality;
• Better hygiene and reduced transmission of waterborne diseases.

The project is accompanied by hygiene awareness campaigns and is built on a long-term sustainability model: revenues from the carbon credits generated are reinvested locally to ensure maintenance and continuity of the infrastructure.

The SDGs of the 2030 Agenda addressed by the project

• Goal 13: Climate action – The project avoids emissions from boiling water with firewood (95 per cent of cases) and charcoal (5 per cent). During the monitoring period from early 2021 to end 2022, avoided emissions amounted to 41,007 tCO₂e through the elimination of biomass combustion for water purification.
• Goal 3: Good health and well-being – The adoption of the wells has reduced waterborne and respiratory diseases by 90 per cent. Access to microbiologically safe water (100 per cent of E.Coli tests negative) replaces the use of contaminated water, the leading cause of diarrhoea, dysentery and other infections.
• Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation – The project provides microbiologically safe water to 72,960 people per year, with a potential of 187,756 residents within 1 km of the sources. 100 per cent of water samples analysed meet national and WHO standards (absence of E.Coli). Hygiene campaigns conducted in accordance with WHO/UNICEF guidelines improve community health practices, reducing contamination risks.
• Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth – The project has promoted local employment and skills development, generating 65 jobs, including 50 drilling workers and 15 dedicated to maintenance and monitoring. This supports the local economy, builds technical skills and promotes decent long-term employment.
• Goal 15: Life on land – The adoption of the wells has also reduced pressure on forests. By eliminating the need to boil water, the project enables a 100 per cent saving of the biomass previously used for domestic water purification. This result reduces deforestation and protects already vulnerable ecosystems, contributing to land conservation.

The positive impacts also depend on Cassa Depositi e Prestiti's commitment

Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), through its participation in LifeGate's Climate Action programme, supports Safe Water Uganda. Through this initiative, CDP has offset its scope 1, scope 2 and scope 3 emissions related to business travel generated in 2024, retiring 1,586 GS 12015-certified carbon credits.

LifeGate and Cassa Depositi e Prestiti

The Safe Water in Uganda project is part of a collaborative journey between CDP and LifeGate that began last year, with support for the GS Burn Stoves project in Kenya to offset CDP's 2023 emissions.

This path is consistent with CDP's strategy and in particular with the commitments set out in the ESG Plan 2025-27, which aim to promote a green and just transition through a range of initiatives — such as supporting climate action through dedicated resources (for a total commitment of €4 billion over the Plan period) and the Impact Award, promoted by POLIMI Graduate School of Management together with Politecnico di Bari and the research centre Tiresia, which recognises companies, public administrations and SMEs capable of generating benefits for local communities.