This study deals with the natural and anthropogenic processes that influence the surface water quality in the central Bangladesh using multivariate statistical techniques. The investigation shows that the Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), turbidity, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), NO₃ ⁻, SO₄ ²⁻, Cl⁻, PO₄ ³⁻ and microbial loads are higher than the Bangladesh standards. R-mode CA groups all 10 sampling sites into 3 statistically significant clusters, reflecting the different physicochemical characteristics and pollution levels of the sites. R-mode CA suggests common sources (industrial, agriculture and urban sewage) for TSS, EC, turbidity, temperature, COD, PO₄ ³⁻, SO₄ ²⁻, and Fecal Coliform (FC). The PCA/FA identifies 5 dominant factors as responsible for the data structure, explaining 88.3% of the total variance in the dataset. The multiple anthropogenic (i.e., industrial, agricultural, urban sewage) and natural sources (soil erosion, aquatic hyacinths and weeds) of water quality parameters have been identified by PCA. This work is believed to serve as a baseline data for further studies in the Turag River system as well as inform decision-makers on the proper design of sampling and analytical protocols for effective pollution management of the surface water quality in the basin.