Surface and groundwater quality assessment based on multivariate statistical techniques in the vicinity of Mohanpur, Bangladesh

Aims: This work evaluated the surface and groundwater quality of Mohanpur area, Rajshahi district, Bangladesh. Multivariate statistical techniques were also applied to determine the possible sources of water contamination. Materials and Methods: Water samples were collected from randomly selected ten different sampling sites for analyzing the chemical parameters including pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, total hardness, total alkalinity, Cl− , NO3− and some heavy metals such as Mn, Pb, Cd, and As concentrations. Concentrations of heavy metals were determined using atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS). Results: Based on hydrochemical characteristics, surface and groundwater in the study area were, in general, fresh, hard, and alkaline in nature. All chemical parameters were within the WHO water quality guidelines. Whereas, among four analyzed…