<p>Watersheds in many countries have experienced a deterioration of water quality in recent years. Watershed deteriorations deliberately hamper the conservation and sustainability of watershed-based natural resources for both human and aquatic species. Several anthropogenic and natural factors have exacerbated the quality of watershed environments. The release of municipal, domestic, and industrial wastewater directly degrades watershed quality. Urbanization, agricultural activities, mining, and industrial development are responsible for changing the natural landscape, leading to increased runoff, soil erosion, and sedimentation into the water bodies, which negatively impacts the watershed environment. Some other key factors like climate change, deforestation, and socio-economic pressures similarly contribute to degrade the quality of watershed’s aquatic environment. These factors deteriorate the water quality, disrupt ecosystems, and diminish biodiversity. Watershed pollution mitigation is crucial for implementing a sustainable watershed management strategy and ensuring the resilience of freshwater resources. This paper focuses on the potential factors involved and the extent of various components that broadly pollute the watershed. Possible adverse impacts of water quality degradation due to pollutants from numerous sources and their remediation approaches are also discussed.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>