Variation of pseudomonas aeruginosa in rainwater harvesting systems: Effects of seasons, catchments and storage conditions

The effects of different catchment types and storage conditions on Pseudomonas aeruginosa in harvested rainwater under wet and dry seasons were investigated. Both horizontal (roof intercepted to outlet point) and vertical (surface to bottom) quality variation inside storage tanks of different rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems was also monitored. The numbers of P. aeruginosa varied from 30 to 400 colony forming units (CFU)/100mL during the dry season and 200 to 1800 CFU/100mL during the wet season. A relatively good quality of harvested rainwater was observed in dry season. The horizontal and vertical quality variation of P. aeruginosa revealed best quality at the supply point. The number of P. aeruginosa was the highest (about 1800 and 1000CFU/100mL during wet and dry seasons, respectively) in rainwater harvested from mountain catchment while the lowest (about 30 and 1000CFU/100mL during dry and wet seasons, respectively) numbers was seen from concrete roof catchment. Dark, covered storage conditions resulting low rainwater temperatures showed better microbial quality of rainwater than uncovered and open storage conditions exposed to light. The study suggests that the improvement in the quality of harvested rainwater is possible when appropriate tank designs, maintenance of catchment surfaces, and proper storage conditions are considered in RWH systems.