eng Science and Education Publishing Applied Ecology and Environmental Sciences 2328-3920 2015-02-11 3 1 5 10 10.12691/aees-3-1-2 AEES2015312 article Dipu Sukumaran dipudr@rediffmail.com 1 Chitralekha Sengupta 1 Rita Saha 1 Rakesh Chandra Saxena 1 Central Pollution Control Board, Southend Conclave, 502 Block, 1582 Rajdanga Main Road, Kolkata The present study mainly focused on trend of the drinking water quality of one of the heritage city of India, Howrah. The ground water from ten stations was analysed for two consecutive years. Water Quality Index (WQI) based on physicochemical parameters put the drinking water into 'nearing to poor' in 2012 and 'excellent' in 2013. But the high concentration of total and fecal coliform makes the water unsafe for drinking in both years. Alkalinity, Chloride, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and Nitrate concentrations in some stations were found above the drinking water standards. http://pubs.sciepub.com/aees/3/1/2/aees-3-1-2.pdf water quality index ground water faecal coliform total coliform