Variation in the Quality of Harvested Rainwater from Source to Storage in a Water-Stressed Community in Ghana

Godfred Owusu-Boateng; Mark Kwabena Gadogbe

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajwse.20160204.11

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Variation in the Quality of Harvested Rainwater from Source to Storage in a Water-Stressed Community in Ghana

Godfred Owusu-Boateng, Mark Kwabena Gadogbe

Published in American Journal of Water Science and Engineering (Volume 2, Issue 4)

Received: 13 September 2016 Accepted: 5 November 2016 Published: 5 December 2016

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Abstract

The quality of rainwater which is the main source of domestic water in Dzodze, a community in the Volta Region of Ghana was unknown. Therefore the possible utilization of contaminated domestic water and occurrence of health hazards could not be underestimated due to prevailing poor hygiene and great lack of standard maintenance and treatment systems in community. In this study, we assessed the quality of rainwater in the Dzodze Community and how it varies along the domestic rainwater harvesting (DRWH) chain from free-fall to storage. Rain samples were collected at three points along the DRWH chain of two DRWH systems: from free-fall, roof-catchment and storage tank and two systems described as poorly-maintained and well-maintained systems. Samples were analyzed for physico-chemical and bacteriological parameters and results compared with WHO and Ghana Standards Board (GSB) guideline values. The harvested rainwater was found to be of good physico-chemical quality but not bacteriological, calling for treatment before utilization. Also, irrespective of the type of DRWH system (poorly-maintained or well-maintained), there was substantial change in rainwater quality upon interaction with roof-catchment with an increase noticed in all parameters.

Published in	American Journal of Water Science and Engineering (Volume 2, Issue 4)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajwse.20160204.11
Page(s)	20-28
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2016. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Rainwater Harvesting, Physico-Chemical Variables, Systems, Standards

References

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APA Style

Godfred Owusu-Boateng, Mark Kwabena Gadogbe. (2016). Variation in the Quality of Harvested Rainwater from Source to Storage in a Water-Stressed Community in Ghana. American Journal of Water Science and Engineering, 2(4), 20-28. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajwse.20160204.11

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ACS Style

Godfred Owusu-Boateng; Mark Kwabena Gadogbe. Variation in the Quality of Harvested Rainwater from Source to Storage in a Water-Stressed Community in Ghana. Am. J. Water Sci. Eng. 2016, 2(4), 20-28. doi: 10.11648/j.ajwse.20160204.11

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AMA Style

Godfred Owusu-Boateng, Mark Kwabena Gadogbe. Variation in the Quality of Harvested Rainwater from Source to Storage in a Water-Stressed Community in Ghana. Am J Water Sci Eng. 2016;2(4):20-28. doi: 10.11648/j.ajwse.20160204.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ajwse.20160204.11,
  author = {Godfred Owusu-Boateng and Mark Kwabena Gadogbe},
  title = {Variation in the Quality of Harvested Rainwater from Source to Storage in a Water-Stressed Community in Ghana},
  journal = {American Journal of Water Science and Engineering},
  volume = {2},
  number = {4},
  pages = {20-28},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajwse.20160204.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajwse.20160204.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajwse.20160204.11},
  abstract = {The quality of rainwater which is the main source of domestic water in Dzodze, a community in the Volta Region of Ghana was unknown. Therefore the possible utilization of contaminated domestic water and occurrence of health hazards could not be underestimated due to prevailing poor hygiene and great lack of standard maintenance and treatment systems in community. In this study, we assessed the quality of rainwater in the Dzodze Community and how it varies along the domestic rainwater harvesting (DRWH) chain from free-fall to storage. Rain samples were collected at three points along the DRWH chain of two DRWH systems: from free-fall, roof-catchment and storage tank and two systems described as poorly-maintained and well-maintained systems. Samples were analyzed for physico-chemical and bacteriological parameters and results compared with WHO and Ghana Standards Board (GSB) guideline values. The harvested rainwater was found to be of good physico-chemical quality but not bacteriological, calling for treatment before utilization. Also, irrespective of the type of DRWH system (poorly-maintained or well-maintained), there was substantial change in rainwater quality upon interaction with roof-catchment with an increase noticed in all parameters.},
 year = {2016}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Variation in the Quality of Harvested Rainwater from Source to Storage in a Water-Stressed Community in Ghana
AU  - Godfred Owusu-Boateng
AU  - Mark Kwabena Gadogbe
Y1  - 2016/12/05
PY  - 2016
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajwse.20160204.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajwse.20160204.11
T2  - American Journal of Water Science and Engineering
JF  - American Journal of Water Science and Engineering
JO  - American Journal of Water Science and Engineering
SP  - 20
EP  - 28
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-1875
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajwse.20160204.11
AB  - The quality of rainwater which is the main source of domestic water in Dzodze, a community in the Volta Region of Ghana was unknown. Therefore the possible utilization of contaminated domestic water and occurrence of health hazards could not be underestimated due to prevailing poor hygiene and great lack of standard maintenance and treatment systems in community. In this study, we assessed the quality of rainwater in the Dzodze Community and how it varies along the domestic rainwater harvesting (DRWH) chain from free-fall to storage. Rain samples were collected at three points along the DRWH chain of two DRWH systems: from free-fall, roof-catchment and storage tank and two systems described as poorly-maintained and well-maintained systems. Samples were analyzed for physico-chemical and bacteriological parameters and results compared with WHO and Ghana Standards Board (GSB) guideline values. The harvested rainwater was found to be of good physico-chemical quality but not bacteriological, calling for treatment before utilization. Also, irrespective of the type of DRWH system (poorly-maintained or well-maintained), there was substantial change in rainwater quality upon interaction with roof-catchment with an increase noticed in all parameters.
VL  - 2
IS  - 4
ER  -

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Author Information

Godfred Owusu-Boateng

Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
Mark Kwabena Gadogbe

Department of Material Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana

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APA Style

Godfred Owusu-Boateng, Mark Kwabena Gadogbe. (2016). Variation in the Quality of Harvested Rainwater from Source to Storage in a Water-Stressed Community in Ghana. American Journal of Water Science and Engineering, 2(4), 20-28. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajwse.20160204.11

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ACS Style

Godfred Owusu-Boateng; Mark Kwabena Gadogbe. Variation in the Quality of Harvested Rainwater from Source to Storage in a Water-Stressed Community in Ghana. Am. J. Water Sci. Eng. 2016, 2(4), 20-28. doi: 10.11648/j.ajwse.20160204.11

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AMA Style

Godfred Owusu-Boateng, Mark Kwabena Gadogbe. Variation in the Quality of Harvested Rainwater from Source to Storage in a Water-Stressed Community in Ghana. Am J Water Sci Eng. 2016;2(4):20-28. doi: 10.11648/j.ajwse.20160204.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ajwse.20160204.11,
  author = {Godfred Owusu-Boateng and Mark Kwabena Gadogbe},
  title = {Variation in the Quality of Harvested Rainwater from Source to Storage in a Water-Stressed Community in Ghana},
  journal = {American Journal of Water Science and Engineering},
  volume = {2},
  number = {4},
  pages = {20-28},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajwse.20160204.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajwse.20160204.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajwse.20160204.11},
  abstract = {The quality of rainwater which is the main source of domestic water in Dzodze, a community in the Volta Region of Ghana was unknown. Therefore the possible utilization of contaminated domestic water and occurrence of health hazards could not be underestimated due to prevailing poor hygiene and great lack of standard maintenance and treatment systems in community. In this study, we assessed the quality of rainwater in the Dzodze Community and how it varies along the domestic rainwater harvesting (DRWH) chain from free-fall to storage. Rain samples were collected at three points along the DRWH chain of two DRWH systems: from free-fall, roof-catchment and storage tank and two systems described as poorly-maintained and well-maintained systems. Samples were analyzed for physico-chemical and bacteriological parameters and results compared with WHO and Ghana Standards Board (GSB) guideline values. The harvested rainwater was found to be of good physico-chemical quality but not bacteriological, calling for treatment before utilization. Also, irrespective of the type of DRWH system (poorly-maintained or well-maintained), there was substantial change in rainwater quality upon interaction with roof-catchment with an increase noticed in all parameters.},
 year = {2016}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Variation in the Quality of Harvested Rainwater from Source to Storage in a Water-Stressed Community in Ghana
AU  - Godfred Owusu-Boateng
AU  - Mark Kwabena Gadogbe
Y1  - 2016/12/05
PY  - 2016
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajwse.20160204.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajwse.20160204.11
T2  - American Journal of Water Science and Engineering
JF  - American Journal of Water Science and Engineering
JO  - American Journal of Water Science and Engineering
SP  - 20
EP  - 28
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-1875
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajwse.20160204.11
AB  - The quality of rainwater which is the main source of domestic water in Dzodze, a community in the Volta Region of Ghana was unknown. Therefore the possible utilization of contaminated domestic water and occurrence of health hazards could not be underestimated due to prevailing poor hygiene and great lack of standard maintenance and treatment systems in community. In this study, we assessed the quality of rainwater in the Dzodze Community and how it varies along the domestic rainwater harvesting (DRWH) chain from free-fall to storage. Rain samples were collected at three points along the DRWH chain of two DRWH systems: from free-fall, roof-catchment and storage tank and two systems described as poorly-maintained and well-maintained systems. Samples were analyzed for physico-chemical and bacteriological parameters and results compared with WHO and Ghana Standards Board (GSB) guideline values. The harvested rainwater was found to be of good physico-chemical quality but not bacteriological, calling for treatment before utilization. Also, irrespective of the type of DRWH system (poorly-maintained or well-maintained), there was substantial change in rainwater quality upon interaction with roof-catchment with an increase noticed in all parameters.
VL  - 2
IS  - 4
ER  -

Copy | Download