Dilemma of roof rainwater quality: Applications of physical and organic treatment methods in a water scarce region of Mekelle, Ethiopia
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Taylor & Francis
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Abstract. Full Text Article available at:https://doi.org/10.1080/1573062X.2016.1176225
The public health field has built a body of literature showing health benefits from improvements in water quality. However, the connection between roof harvested rainwater and health is not well documented especially in developing countries. Understanding the application of locally available treatment methods provides insight into this problem. This paper reports on experimental investigations where rainwater collected from a typical domestic roof in Mekelle, Ethiopia was treated using Moringa stenopetala seed, sand filter and boiling. The quality of the raw and treated roof harvested rainwater were compared against the Ethiopian and World Health Organization drinking water standards to investigate its suitability as a supplement for potable water supply. The pollutants analysed were total coliforms and turbidity. A significant improvement of turbidity and total coliforms was observed. This implies that application of plant coagulant followed by filtration can sufficiently treat rainwater and can be used as a low-cost treatment option in water scarce areas.
The public health field has built a body of literature showing health benefits from improvements in water quality. However, the connection between roof harvested rainwater and health is not well documented especially in developing countries. Understanding the application of locally available treatment methods provides insight into this problem. This paper reports on experimental investigations where rainwater collected from a typical domestic roof in Mekelle, Ethiopia was treated using Moringa stenopetala seed, sand filter and boiling. The quality of the raw and treated roof harvested rainwater were compared against the Ethiopian and World Health Organization drinking water standards to investigate its suitability as a supplement for potable water supply. The pollutants analysed were total coliforms and turbidity. A significant improvement of turbidity and total coliforms was observed. This implies that application of plant coagulant followed by filtration can sufficiently treat rainwater and can be used as a low-cost treatment option in water scarce areas.
Keywords
Water quality, Rainwater, Rainwater harvesting, Roof rainwater, Rainwater quality, Water treatment, Water turbidity, Coliforms, Mekelle, Ethiopia, Public health