Investigation of Some Physico-Chemical and Microbiological Parameters in Rainwater Collected from Industrial Areas of Lagos State, Nigeria

Abstract

Experience of water shortage in Lagos, the most industrialized city in Nigeria, has made the residents resort in sourcing for drinking water from dug wells, bore holes, harvested rainfall and rivers throughout the seasons. Samples of rainwater were collected from five different locations (Ilupeju, Ikeja, Apapa, Ikorodu and Costain) in Lagos State, Nigeria. Microbial and physicochemical analyses of the samples were carried out using standard methods. The pH of the most rainwater samples ranging from 4.22 to 4.94 were below the World Health Organization (WHO) standard for drinking water (6-8) except the sample from Apapa which has a pH of 6.11. All the rainwater samples were found to have high levels of dissolved oxygen and harbor coliform organisms in numbers above the WHO stipulation for drinking water. The trace elements and heavy metals in the water samples were relatively within the WHO standard.  This is an indication that rainwater may not be safe for drinking, except if the water is treated. Thus, the treatment of rainwater and all other forms of water should be a matter of great concern to the government, communities, families and individuals in Lagos and other industrialized and overpopulated cities in Nigeria because of the health hazard potential of contaminated water.