Considering the increasing urban population and the resulting urban liquid waste, an attempt has been made to ascertain the quality of the Pondicherry coastal water. Four sampling stations-two on the 1 fathom line and two on the 5 fathom line were fixed. The results revealed that the total coliform bacterial population showed seasonal variation viz. between post and pre-monsoon periods. Secondly, the stations near the coast showed very low counts of bacterial population when compared to the 5 fathom line i.e. about kilometer away from the coast on the sea. However, such incidence level is well below the admissible standard values indicated by WHO.