Although water makes up 71% of the Earth's surface, only 0.3% of it is available as fresh water for human use. Furthermore, what we are most concerned about is the quality of fresh water in the soil and on the surface, since drinking water must be adequate in terms of calories and organic nutrient content. The quality of groundwater and surface water, both in rural and urban environments, is influenced by both natural processes and anthropogenic influences. Because of this, water is becoming scarcer day by day as the population increases around the world. Changes in water quality due to natural processes are due to rock erosion; evapotranspiration; deposition due to wind; leaching due to soil runoff due to hydrological factors; and biological processes that occur in the aquatic environment. Changes that occur due to natural processes cause changes in the PH and alkalinity of water and in some places also cause phosphorus loading, increased fluoride content and high sulfate concentrations. Anthropogenic factors that influence water quality include impacts from agriculture; use of fertilizers, manures and pesticides; livestock activities; inefficient irrigation practices; forest deforestation; aquaculture; pollution due to industrial effluents and domestic wastewater; mining and recreational activities. Anthropogenic influence causes high concentrations of heavy metals, mercury, coliforms and nutrient loads. This article studies the effects of natural processes and human influences in rural and urban aquatic systems. Pollution due to environmental parameters such as elemental pollution, heavy metals, compounds and bacterial and pathogenic contamination for both urban and rural areas h......middle of paper......c ecosystem, but also the access to safe drinking water for human consumption. The quality and quantity of water are therefore intimately linked even if they are often not measured simultaneously. Measurement of the quantity of water is carried out by hydrological monitoring stations that record the level, flow rate and velocity of the water. Instead, water quality is determined by the analysis of water samples collected periodically from these monitoring stations. However, water quality monitoring results are important for determining spatial and temporal trends in such surface and groundwater. Local, regional and global assessments of water quality monitoring data help illustrate the key characteristics of aquatic environments, while explaining the positive and negative impacts of human activities. A clear and concise basic knowledge of water quality can further assist in other water assessments.