Abstract
Despite the high level of dependence on rainwater for drinking and domestic uses due to lack of
public pipe borne water supplies, little is done for monitoring the quality of stored rainwater in cisterns, tanks
and reservoirs receiving rainwater in Wukari, Taraba State, North-Eastern, Nigeria. For this reason, it is very
important to evaluate the quality of rainwater collected and stored in different storage media to ascertain their
impacts on harvested rainwater quality. In this research study, samples of harvested rainwater were collected
from different storage media commonly used (metal tanks, plastic tanks and concrete tanks) from private
dwellings and public places. Physico-chemical and microbiological analyses of the samples were carried out
using standard methods. The storage material types showed statistically significant differences (pquality parameters such as pH, Electrical conductivity, Total dissolved solids, acidity, trace and heavy
metals.The results of the analyses were compared with water quality guidelines of World Health Organization
(W.H.O) to evaluate its suitability for potable and domestic uses. All the stored rainwater samples tested
positive for faecal coliform and the counts were above the World Health Organization (W.H.O) stipulation for
drinking water. The trace and heavy metals in the water samples were relatively within the World Health
Organization (W.H.O) standards except for copper and iron levels in metal tanks. Plastic (PVC) tanks and well
constructed concrete tanks are the most suitable storage media as found in this study. The study shows that
harvested rainwater may not be suitable for direct drinking, without treatment, but could be used for other
domestic purposes.
public pipe borne water supplies, little is done for monitoring the quality of stored rainwater in cisterns, tanks
and reservoirs receiving rainwater in Wukari, Taraba State, North-Eastern, Nigeria. For this reason, it is very
important to evaluate the quality of rainwater collected and stored in different storage media to ascertain their
impacts on harvested rainwater quality. In this research study, samples of harvested rainwater were collected
from different storage media commonly used (metal tanks, plastic tanks and concrete tanks) from private
dwellings and public places. Physico-chemical and microbiological analyses of the samples were carried out
using standard methods. The storage material types showed statistically significant differences (pquality parameters such as pH, Electrical conductivity, Total dissolved solids, acidity, trace and heavy
metals.The results of the analyses were compared with water quality guidelines of World Health Organization
(W.H.O) to evaluate its suitability for potable and domestic uses. All the stored rainwater samples tested
positive for faecal coliform and the counts were above the World Health Organization (W.H.O) stipulation for
drinking water. The trace and heavy metals in the water samples were relatively within the World Health
Organization (W.H.O) standards except for copper and iron levels in metal tanks. Plastic (PVC) tanks and well
constructed concrete tanks are the most suitable storage media as found in this study. The study shows that
harvested rainwater may not be suitable for direct drinking, without treatment, but could be used for other
domestic purposes.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 25-32 |
| Journal | IOSR Journal Of Environmental Science, Toxicology And Food Technology (IOSR-JESTFT) |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Nov 2013 |