Hydrochemical Characteristics and Quality Assessment of Surface and Groundwater Resources Around Nasarawa-Eggon Coal Mining Site Northcentral Nigeria Using Multivariate Statistical Analysis

Abstract

Access to clean and safe potable water is vital for the well-being of communities in 
Nasarawa-Eggon, located in northcentral Nigeria. However, water resources in the 
area face quality degradation due to acidic discharges from abandoned coal mines 
and other anthropogenic activities. This study investigates the hydrochemical 
characteristics and quality of surface and groundwater around the Nasarawa-Eggon 
coal mining site, with the aim of evaluating their suitability for drinking and irrigation 
purposes using multivariate statistical techniques. A total of seventeen water 
samples were collected from ponds, streams, and boreholes and analyzed for key 
water quality indicator parameters. Hydrochemical facies were identified using Piper 
and Gibbs diagrams, revealing dominant water types including CaCl, Mixed CaMgCl, 
and HCO₃ types. The Gibbs plot indicated that rock weathering and mineral 
dissolution are the primary geochemical processes influencing water chemistry in the 
area. To assess relationships among water quality parameters and their potential 
sources, multivariate statistical methods such as Pearson correlation and hierarchical 
cluster analysis were employed. Water quality indices (WQI) for both drinking and 
irrigation were computed using standard evaluation models. Results from the 
Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index (CCME-WQI) 
classified the drinking water quality as good, with groundwater exhibiting the highest 
quality. For irrigation suitability, the Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) indicated that 
58.8% of the samples are of excellent quality, while 41.2% are good. Overall, the 
study underscores the impact of both natural processes and coal mining activities on 
the hydrochemical evolution of water in the area. It also demonstrates the utility of 
multivariate statistical techniques as effective tools for evaluating water quality and 
tracing pollution sources in mining-impacted environments.