Deposition and Microbial Analyses from Roof-Top Sediments Within Different Sanitation Environments

Abstract

Since the building roof acts as hub for atmospheric sediment deposition, the attached microbes can enter rainwater storage tank with ease to cause health issue for rainwater users. This study aims to explore the trend of roof-top deposited microbes in the different areas of Ikorodu local Government Area at Lagos, Nigeria. This paper also tests the hypothesis that the roof sediment deposition being a significant source to home bacteria. The total deposition rate on the roof for 34 weeks, which include 17 rainy and 17 dry weeks, were investigated. The enumerated bacteria was obtained from the roof deposit samples, where four representative different sites have been analysed to study the solid depositions and microbes within the area thoroughly. The sites were selected judging by their levels of sanitation and vegetation rate. The experimental investigations showed that enumerated microbes and total suspended solid (TSS) depositions in the different areas were higher in the dry season compared to rainy season, and the highest deposition was experienced in the Harmattan period. In addition, the results showed that areas with poor drainage infrastructure and poor sanitation have the roof-top deposition with higher bacterial count than good sanitation areas; while the unpaved and unvegetated areas produced higher deposits than the paved and vegetated areas. In terms of contamination sources, this study has illustrated that the particulate deposition on the roof-top prior to collection has further contaminated the roof-harvested rainwater.