Groundwater quality evaluation and pollution source apportionment using multivariate statistical analyses in Chuadanga municipality, Bangladesh

This is the first study to report the groundwater (GW) quality indices for drinking and irrigation purposes in Chuadanga Municipality, Bangladesh. GW samples were collected from 32 locations across the municipality's nine administrative wards. The physical parameters, such as total dissolved solids (TDS): 383 ppm, pH: 7.4, and electrical conductivity (EC): 583 μs/cm were reported, respectively. Among the detected chemical components, arsenic (As): 0.16 mg/L, iron (Fe): 0.77 mg/L, and manganese (Mn): 0.75 mg/L were found beyond the standard values. Geospatial analysis and multivariate analyses, such as correlation coefficient analysis (CCA), cluster analysis (CA), and principal component analysis (PCA), were performed to determine the potential sources of contaminants in the GW of the selected study areas. The water quality index (WQI) and heavy metal pollution index (HPI) suggest that most samples are unsuitable for drinking and irrigation. Following the water quality indices, CCA indicates the significant impact of As and Mn on water quality. The CA and PCA suggest geogenic, anthropogenic, and natural processes are mainly responsible for releasing those contaminants in GW.