“…Similarly, the Krishna and Cauvery rivers and their tributaries have also regained their decades-old poor status in respect of water quality ( KSPCB, 2020 ). This prompted us to launch a study of a tropical river, the Karamana R., in the southwestern seaboard of India hosting the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram in the state of Kerala, India, which is on a fast track of urbanization through the past four decades ( Sajinkumar et al, 2017 ). Hopefully, the outcome of this research will shine new light on the water quality in Karamana R., basin (KRB), especially against the backdrop of COVID-19 disruptions.…”