A total of 120 water and sewage samples were collected from 20 stations over six consecutive seasons in two years in order to study the possible impact of domestic sewage on the lotic water in and around Cuttack, India. A majority of samples exceeded the maximum permissible limit set by WHO for NH4+ and NO3- contents. Total viable count (TVC) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) counts in all the samples were high and the waters were not potable. The nutrient characteristics of the study area exhibited drastic temporal variation indicating highest concentration during the summer season compared to winter and rains. The persistence of dissolved oxygen ( DO) deficit and very high biochemical oxygen demands (BOD) all along the water courses suggest that the deoxygenation rate of lotic water was much higher than reoxygenation. Hierarchical cluster analysis of the various physico-chemical and microbial parameters established three different zones and the most contaminated zone was found to be near the domestic sewage mixing points.
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