<p>The present manuscript is an account of the studies conducted on some well known surface water bodies in India, with special emphasis on the river systems, to evaluate their quality status. The review covers the water quality estimation and identification of sources contributing to water quality deterioration. Commonly employed physicochemical and biological parameters as indicators of water quality have been thoroughly discussed. Some possible measures to prevent and control pollution of water bodies have also been provided. The review also covers assessment of bed sediment environment of the surface water bodies. Many studies are available on quality assessment of surface waters and their bed sediments. However, currently, there is no literature available which compiles the works on some recent assessment of water bodies, commonly applied water quality indicators in research programmes, sources of pollution and possible pollution mitigation measures. This review is the first such attempt in this direction.</p>