Journal of Basic and Applied Research International

Relationship of physicochemical parameters and surface water pollution sources identification at the upper course of Kano River has been investigated using data matrix from twenty seven water quality variables in thirty sampling stations with the aim of determining the most statistically significant parameters at 0.05 alpha levels and their contribution towards spatial variability in river water quality. Concentration of physico-chemical variables which includes in-situ parameters: pH, redox (Eh), electrical conductivity (EC), salinity, total dissolved solids (TDS) and water temperature, cat ions: potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca) and sodium (Na), aniodes: chloride (Cl), sulphate (SO₄) bicarbonate (HCO₃), and nitrate (NO₃), trace elements: aluminum (Al), arsenic (As), barium (Ba), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) were analyzed and studied using Pearson’s product moment correlation and principal component analyses. Three major principal components were obtained explaining 86.69% of the total variance indicating the possibility of data reduction and indicate that the parameters responsible for water quality variation at the upper course of River Kano are principally controlled by the catchment geology; weathering of silicate minerals from the formation of younger granitic outcrop, dissolve heavy metals and anthropogenic activities. Therefore, the identification of the main potential water pollution sources in the region by this study will help managers make better and more informed decisions about how to improve the water quality in the basin.