<p>The Mahanadi River basin located in the state of Odisha, is considered as the lifeline of water supply. In recent years, the problem of surface water over-exploitation has become increasingly prominent in the basin, due to the expansion of agriculture. This paper developed adaptive management initiatives and the ongoing study highlighted an evaluation of surface water quality (WQ) for drinking purposes, with an integrated use of Cuckoo Search Algorithm (CSA)-based water quality index (WQI), Agricultural indicators namely, potential salinity (PS), percent sodium (%Na), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), residual sodium carbonate (RSC), Kelly index (KI), magnesium hazard (MH), permeability index (PI) and Irrigation (I) based-WQI are reported and, is also assisted by Geographical Information System (GIS) tools namely Inverted Distance Weighted (IDW) method. Additionally, the Larson-Skold Index (LS), Ryznar Stability Index (RSI), Aggressive Index (AI), Langelier Saturation Index (LSI), and Puckorius scaling index (PSI), were used to evaluate the river water’s industrial suitability. From the research analysis, it is observed that the study area predominantly comprises of slightly alkaline in nature. Parameter TKN and turbidity exhibits higher values and crosses the acceptable limits. Because of the high flow rates during high water, which dilute the content upstream and cause it to accumulate downstream, the values ranged from acceptable to high. Optimization models, such as CSA approach were implemented to resolve conflicts, pertaining to the WQI index. Approximately, 15.80% of the sample locations exhibit excellent conditions, while 36.84% show poor conditions, and the remaining 31.58% (6 locations) indicate very poor water conditions. This may result from human activities, prolonged wastewater usage, excessive surface water extraction, and changes in land use patterns. In the lower reaches, a gradual rise in pH values was also noted. Based on the results, the study area reflects water conditions ranging from excellent to unsuitable. However, some agricultural indices like %Na, RSC, KR, PS, PI, SAR, and PS, permits the water to be used for irrigation. In case of Magnesium hazard (MH), two sampling locations have values more than 50%, implying that it is unfit for irrigation. Based on the finding’s, tested locations were ‘moderately corrosive’ as per AI and PSI, in certain locations; ‘corrosion intolerable’ based upon RSI, and finally, corrosion group, relying on the LS index. Additionally, the majority of the sampling locations’ RSI, AI, PSI, LS, and LSI readings throughout the sampling period suggested that the river water was extremely aggressive, corrosive, and unfit for industrial use without treatment. The IWQI fluctuation value in the study area ranges from 35 to94 indicating that the river shows a nil to severe restriction classes. Notably, three samples (15.80%) fall within the high restriction zone, while one sample (5.26%) falls under the severe restriction category, highlighting adverse effects on agricultural areas. However, it was important to note that this study indicated that the pollution levels at these stations were more closely linked to a wide range of expanding human activities, such as excessive water use, fertilizer effects, agricultural runoff, and industrial presence in and near the riverbed. In the end, the combination of this model characteristics, evaluates the appropriateness of surface water for agriculture and human consumption, and their regulating variables is advantageous and gives a good picture of the quality of the water. So,&#xa0;the resultant study provides a crucial baseline that will be valuable for urban planning and policy development agencies in several locations.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>