COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF HARVESTED RAINWATER QUALITY FROM DIFFERENT ROOFING MATERIALS IN PETROLEUM PRODUCING COMMUNITY, EGBEMA, RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

A comparative study of the quality of rain water from different roofing materials was carried out in Egbema, an oil producing community in Rivers State. While SO4, P04, NO3, turbidity and hardness of the rain water samples were more in asbestos and concrete roofs, the metallic ions, Zn, Fe, Al. Mn and Pb were statistically (p=0.05) more in corrugated iron and aluminum roofs which also had higher conductivity. Higher acidity was observed in the gas flaring area (Ebocha) compared to Okwuzi, 3-4km away. This resulted in greater cation and anions in the rain water from Ebocha compared to Okwuzi (P = 0.05). Seasonal effects showed that higher values where obtained from the occasional rains of the dry season, followed by the early rainy season rain water samples while the least were in the mid rainy season rain water. Values from the late rains of rainy season were not statistically (P = 0.05) higher than the mid rainy season ones, though they were slightly higher. More fungal count, were recorded during the dry periods, followed by the heterotrophic bacteria with the least being the coliforms. Higher microbial counts were found in the asbestos, followed by the concrete roofs before the corrugated iron roofs and then the aluminum roofs. The above observations were attributed to the acid rain formation due to the gas flaring activities at Ebocha. Rainwater from the Egbema communities was therefore not potable and safe for drinking purposes.