Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2017) 6(7): 4489-4500 4489 Original Research Article https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2017.607.468 Impacts of Storage Duration and Materials on the Quality of Rainwater in Ogbomoso, Southwest Nigeria T.P. Abegunrin 1 , G.O. Awe 2 *, A.Y. Sangodoyin 3 , O.E. Onofua 1 and O.M. Oguntoye 1 1 Department of Agricultural Engineering, LadokeAkintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria 2 Department of Soil Resources and Environmental Management, Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria 3 Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria *Corresponding author ABSTRACT Introduction Freshwater is an essential requirement for human existence. At the domestic level, water of acceptable quality at reasonable quantity is required for normal physiological needs and for sanitary purposes. Over the last half- century, water demand has increased and signs of water shortage have become common place (Miller, 1989; IPPC, 1990; Matondo et al., 2005; Kaldellis and Kondili, 2007). The shortage of water may be attributed to some Alternative water sources for potable or non-potable purposes are now sought as a result of the global crisis of water shortage and rainwater harvesting is one of the several strategies for mitigating the growing water crisis. However, one of the primary issues regarding the use of rainwater is quality. The objective of this study therefore was to examine the combined effects of storage duration and materials on the physico-chemical and microbiological qualities of harvested rainwater in Ogbomoso, southwestern Nigeria. Samples of harvested rainwater were kept in three different storage materials, namely metal drum (M), plastic drum (P) and earthen pot (E) for one day (D1), five days (D5) and ten days (D10) before analysis for quality indicators of physical, chemical and biological characteristics. Storage material had significant effect on the quality indicators except temperature, chloride (Cl) and nitrite (NO 2 )with earthen pot most significantly influencing the quality of the harvested rainwater. Except for temperature, total solids (TS), nitrate (NO 3 ) and total coliform (TC), storage duration did not significantly affect the quality indicators. As the storage duration increases, the introduction of contaminants increased the electrical conductivity (EC), TS and TC. There was significant correlation between the harvested rainwater quality indicators and of all the quality indicators, only changes in water temperature and chloride can be best predicted over time. This study shows that harvested rainwater for potable purposes should not be stored more than five days without adequate treatment and the use of plastic drum is recommended for storing rainwater. Nevertheless, care must be taken when storing rainwater from the introduction of foreign contaminants while proper handling must be ensured. International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 7 (2017) pp. 4489-4500 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com Keywords Rainwater harvesting, Quality indicators, Storage duration, Storage material. Accepted: 30 June 2017 Available Online: 10 July 2017 Article Info