The study investigates and evaluates chemical parameters in handpumped water along Assi, a tributary to Ganga, south of Varanasi, northern India. Assi is polluted from raw sewage, landfill runoff and outlets from industries. To find out if the stream affects the groundwater in its basin, regression analysis of the easily moving ions, nitrite, nitrate and chloride were done during spring and autumn 2008. Significant trends were found for nitrate, most of them in the after monsoon period. No other chemical parameter gave significant trends. Metals as manganese and hexavalent chromium was measured in the spring period. Levels were higher closer to the stream. Significant trends when tested with regression analyses could not be found and the hexavalent chromium do not exceed guideline values in the handpumps measured. Interviews made clear that one quarter of the users of handpumped water have bad water quality during the monsoon period. The mean value of TDS in these pumps were higher than for the pumps that have good water quality and exceeds 500 mg/l. The mean value for turbidity was higher than 5 NTU in these pumps and in pumped water with good quality lower than 5 NTU. High levels of turbidity did not seem to affect the experience of having a good water. Pumps with higher TDS-values shows higher risk for polluted surface runoff together with risk for a broken construction that can allow seepage into the pumped water. Assi gives a severe contribution of raw sewage to Ganga upstream the bathing area in Varanasi and the pollution in the stream seams to affect the groundwater in its basin.