Appropriate rainwater harvesting and domestic water quality: a case study of Central Gonja District
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Date
2011
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Abstract
Water is an essential resource for our well-being. The quality of water sources in the Central Gonja district of Ghana has been questioned due to activities that pollute water in the area. Therefore, there is the need to ascertain the quality of water from different sources in the area. One hundred and eight (108) samples were collected from boreholes, rivers, dam and rainwater in the wet and dry seasons. Sixty-three (63) storage samples from plastic, metal and concrete tanks were collected within 3 months of storage including entry point water. The samples were analysed for pH, total alkalinity, EC, turbidity, total hardness, nitrate, fluoride, iron, and FC. In addition, data was collected through a questionnaire survey and measurement of roof catchment areas of 60 households/houses in Buipe, Yapei and Mpaha townships. The dry-season water demand versus rainwater supply approach was used to determine the storage requirement. Analysis of the water sources showed that the boreholes, rivers and dams were seasonally affected in terms of the parameters measured except for iron and fluoride. Rainwater showed the absence of fluoride, iron and faecal coliform. The results from the storage tanks also showed that plastic and concrete tanks were within the WHO recommendation except for faecal coliform. The results showed that the type of storage tank has direct impact more on the physico-chemical quality of stored rainwater and care must be taken in the use of metal tanks. The results of the survey showed that a storage capacity of 30 m3 is enough to meet household water demand during the 5 months dry period. Generally, rainwater can be recommended for drinking, cooking, bathing and washing for the people of Central Gonja district.
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A Thesis Submitted to the Department of Agricultural Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Soil and Water Engineering