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In late December 2019, a novel coronavirus, COVID −19 originated in Wuhan city of China, and significant improvement in not only the air quality but also the water quality. Therefore, the current study demonstrates the changes in water quality parameters of the Ghaggar river, Punjab, India. The variations in the water quality of the Ghaggar river have been examined during the pre-, during, and post-pandemic periods. The maximum temperature of the Ghaggar river for all monitoring stations was between 28 to 37°C during the pandemic period, whereas the maximum dissolved oxygen value varied from 3 to 7 mg/L. The maximum pH obtained from the monitoring stations was reported to be 7.7 to 8.0, except chhatbir monitoring station (7.6). The maximum biochemical oxygen demand for all monitoring stations was found to be between 18–53 mg/L. Strong positive correlations were observed between total coliform and fecal coliform for pre (0.76) and during (0.89) the pandemic periods. Similar significant positive correlations were recorded between BOD and conductivity for pre (0.75) and during (0.58) pandemic periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]