Deterioration of quality of drinking water is one of the major threats to public health in India. Drinking water sources, across the nation are largely polluted due to the excessive presence of inorganic and organic chemicals, toxic metals and microorganisms. Both the natural and human activities contribute to this. Human activities like improper disposal of municipal and industrial wastes and improper applications of agrochemicals are the main contributing factors to the deterioration of water quality. This severe deterioration of drinking water quality has potential health impacts. A significantly large number of casualties, including children were reported every year due to the consumption of contaminated water. In this backdrop, this review focuses on the pollution of drinking water due to geogenic and anthropogenic activities as well as the consequent health problems and attempt to come up with a clear picture regarding the status of the studies and the shortcomings that needed to be bridged.