The Tapi River, flowing through Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, faces several critical environmental challenges. One of the major issues is pollution source identification, as untreated sewage and industrial waste from urban centers like Surat and Jalgaon severely affect water quality. Water quality testing has revealed contamination from chemicals, plastics, and other hazardous pollutants. Additionally, illegal sand mining along the riverbed disrupts the natural ecosystem, causes erosion, and alters the river’s flow. The construction of dams such as the Ukai Dam has significantly changed the river’s natural course, reducing downstream flow, impacting sediment transport, and hindering fish migration. Encroachment along riverbanks by urban settlements and agriculture has degraded natural floodplains, increased flooding risks, and caused a decline in biodiversity indexing. These combined pressures have led to the loss of biodiversity and deteriorated the river’s ecological health, emphasizing the urgent need for urban water body restoration and sustainable intervention.