WATER QAULITY INDICES FOR PANCHAGANGA RIVER BASINA.R. KULKARNIAbstract Main source of pollution of in the river basin is originating from the sugar industries and partially and untreated domestic sewage. Thirteen representative river water samples representing five rivers Panchanganga river basin were collected for winter season and analysed for various physical, chemical and microbiological parameters following standard procedures. Water Quality Indices (WQI) were calculated based on fourteen water quality parameters. WQI in the study area ranged between 49.01419 to 170.7974. Water quality indices indicated that coliforms are the a major polluting parameter amongst all other water quality parameters. This can mainly be attributed to faecal contamination of river water due non point source of pollution in the upper reaches of river basin and domestic waste water of Kolhapur city flowing through Jayanti Nalla. Water borne diseases such as typhoid, diarrhoea, dysentery and Jaundice are commonly found in the Panchaganga river basin area |