Rainwater Quality Assessment In The Tamale Municipality.

-The study on the rainwater quality was carried out in Tamale Municipality in Ghana which is poorly endowed with natural water bodies that dries up during the dry season. Rainwater samples were analyzed for pH, turbidity, electrical conductivity and total dissolved solids and major ions (Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , K + , Na + , Cl , NO3 , H2CO3, CO3, silica and SO4 2). pH levels ranged from 5.02 to 9.0 pH units with a mean of 7.18 ±0.72 pH units. The low pH found in some samples indicates high presence of CO2 in the atmosphere as a result of excessive bush burning within the environs. This can also be attributed to the increased use of fossil fuel which emits high amounts of SO2, NO2 (vehicular movement) and particulate matter (smoke, dust, suspended soot) in the air. Turbidity levels of rainwater during the four year ranged from 0.4 to 12.4 NTU with a mean of 2.6±2.5 NTU compared to WHO limit of 5 NTU. The high levels of turbidity of rainwater recorded may be due to the presents of particulate matter in the atmospheric air. pH showed good correlation with K + which indicates that the rampant annual bush burning is the common source of atmospheric pollution in the metropolis. The rainwater quality in the study area is influenced by local activities such as bush burning and particulate matter or dust.

[1]  A. Soler,et al.  Association between calcium content of drinking water and fractures in children , 1992 .

[2]  Min Hu,et al.  [Chemical characteristics of atmospheric precipitation in Shenzhen]. , 2008, Huan jing ke xue= Huanjing kexue.

[3]  A. Shakour,et al.  CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF RAINWATER IN EGYPT , 2003 .

[4]  U. Kulshrestha,et al.  Chemical characteristics of rainwater at an urban site of south-central India , 2003 .

[5]  Yong-liang Ma,et al.  Chemical characters of atmospheric precipitation in Beijing in years of 2001~2003. , 2004 .

[6]  P. S. Praveen,et al.  Chemical composition of precipitation during 1984–2002 at Pune, India , 2004 .

[7]  U. Gelatti,et al.  [Drinking water hardness and chronic degenerative diseases. III. Tumors, urolithiasis, fetal malformations, deterioration of the cognitive function in the aged and atopic eczema]. , 2003, Annali di igiene : medicina preventiva e di comunita.

[8]  T. Younos,et al.  Evaluation of rooftop rainfall collection-cistern storage systems in Southwest Virginia , 1998 .

[9]  A. Alexopoulos,et al.  Rainwater harvesting, quality assessment and utilization in Kefalonia Island, Greece. , 2007, Water research.

[10]  Awwa,et al.  Standard Methods for the examination of water and wastewater , 1999 .

[11]  R. Harrison,et al.  Atmospheric acidity: sources, consequences and abatement. , 1992 .

[12]  M. Zunckela,et al.  Rainwater composition in northeast Uruguay , 2003 .

[13]  D. Patel,et al.  Chemical characterization of rainwater at a developing urban habitat of Northern India , 2004 .

[14]  Godfred Darko,et al.  Chemical Composition of Rainwater over a Mining Area in Ghana , 2011 .

[15]  George Benneh,et al.  A new geography of Ghana , 1970 .

[16]  Y. Liu,et al.  Chemical characteristics of precipitation at Nanping Mangdang Mountain in eastern China during spring. , 2011, Journal of environmental sciences.

[17]  Samuel J. Cobbina,et al.  Water quality status of dugouts from five districts in Northern Ghana: implications for sustainable water resources management in a water stressed tropical savannah environment , 2010, Environmental monitoring and assessment.

[18]  R. Amorin,et al.  Assessment of the Quality of Bottled/Sachet Water in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality (TM) of Ghana , 2011 .