Investigating the effect of water storage facilities onto the water quality.
Abstract
Waterborne diseases kill a large number of people in middle and low-income countries on a daily
basis. Worldwide, there is an increased use of the indirect type of water supply which involves the
use of water storage facilities. This is because a constant supply from the water mains is not assured
especially in the developing countries, but in periods of peak demand or scarcity, water storage
facilities can be a reliable source of water.
This study investigated the different features of a water storage facility and their relationship with
the water inflow and outflow parameters. It involved collection of water samples from different
plastic water storage tanks. Samples collected and analyzed were tested for parameters which
included; pH, electrical conductivity, turbidity, total suspended solids, total dissolved solids,
nitrates, phosphorus and E. coli. Questionnaires and observation checklists were used to collected
data on the features of the water storage tanks.
The study revealed that there is a significant relationship between the water quality and the
cleaning frequency for the pH parameter. E. coli concentrations were observed to be high in water
storage tanks that had never been cleaned. There was also a significant relationship between the
water quality and the storage tank water retention period. Other factors such as the storage tank
covering were also found to affect the water quality. Most of the samples were bacteriologically
contaminated. The study also discovered presence of E. coli in water inflow which poses an
interesting further research that should be done to find out whether contamination occurs within
the distribution systems.