Various anthropogenic activities including disposal of medical wastes in rivers, agricultural run-offs and faulty sewage systems have increased the presence of E. coli in water. The increasing occurrence of E.coli with multiple drug resistance (MDR) in water bodies of urban areas has been reported in various parts of Kerala, India in recent years. It is also been reported that the E.coli burden has considerably increased in the drinking water sources post 2018 floods in Kerala. Presently the objective of this work is to study the prevalence of multiple drug-resistant E.coli in these water bodies in the urban areas of central Kerala. For this purpose, 60 samples (tap water, well water and river water) samples were collected from different locations in four central districts Palakkad, Thrissur, Ernakulam, and Kottayam in central Kerala.