Roof-harvested rainwater (RHRW) has remained one of the oldest sources of alternative potable water in most rural communities in the world. In this study, two major samples were obtained from the cafeteria/canteen and female hostel at the Hezekiah University, Umudi. Total heterotrophic bacterial count, total coliform count and Staphylococcal count. The coliform composition was determined using the Most Probable Number (MPN) 3-tube technique. Biochemical tests and colonial morphology were employed in the identification of the bacterial isolates associated with the RHRW samples. Total heterotrophic bacterial and coliform counts for the samples obtained from the cafeteria/canteen was 5.0 Log10CFU/mL and 3.0 Log10 CFU/mL while the coliform content was 10 and 36 CFU/100mL was observed for the samples obtained from the female hostel and cafeteria respectively. The physicochemical composition of the RHRW from the cafeteria was observed to have a pH of 6.9, electrical conductivity of 110.56 (µS/cm), total dissolved solids was 11.97, total hardness was 13.49 mg/L while total acidity was 15 mg/L. The bacterial flora identified from the RHRW were E. coli, Enterococcus sp., Klebsiella sp. and Pseudomonas sp., while E. coli was identified to be the most frequent. There is a need for the University management to sensitize both staff and students on the potential dangers of using roof-harvested rainwater for domestic purposes. Non-governmental organizations must sensitize rural communities to the need for the treatment of rainwater before usage.

Keywords: Roof harvested rainwater, Potable water, Most probable number, Bacterial flora, Coliform, Roof, Hostel, Physicochemical, Rural communities, Colonial morphology, Cafeteria, Most frequent isolates.

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Source of Funding:

This study did not receive any grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not–for–profit sectors.

Competing Interests Statement:

The authors declare no competing financial, professional, or personal interests.

Consent for publication:

The authors declare that they consented to the publication of this study.

Authors' contributions:

Both the authors made an equal contribution to the conception and design of the work, data collection, experimental analysis, writing of the article and critical revision of the article. Both the authors have read and approved the final copy of the manuscript.

Availability of data and material:

Authors are willing to share the data and materials according to relevant needs.