Statistical Assessment of Groundwater Quality in Ogbomosho, Southwest Nigeria

Abstract

Groundwater quality in Ogbomosho area of southwest Nigeria was investigated in this study using multivariate statistical analysis. Factor analysis was applied to the Hydrochemical data in order to extract the principal factors responsible for the different Hydrochemical facies. By using Kaiser Normalization, the principal factors were extracted from the data. The analysis reveals six sources of solutes which correspond to six possible sources of groundwater pollution. Five factors (1, 2, 3, 4 and 6) originate from the natural sources while factor 5 is from anthropogenic source. Based on the calculated water quality index, the groundwater in the area falls under poor water and it was attributed to the enrichment of the groundwater with fluoride, major ions and heavy metals. The water type in the area is calcium-bicarbonate type. The efficacy of factor analysis and water quality index in the characterization of groundwater geochemistry in Ogbomosho, southwest Nigeria has been demonstrated in the present study.