Evaluation of the quality of natural resources is vital for their ecological substantiation. This study assesses the water quality of the two Ramsar sites (Surinsar and Mansar Lake) and their adjoining areas in the Jammu region. The evaluation of water quality for both drinking and irrigation purposes was conducted for all 26 samples. The evaluation of physicochemical parameters was conducted, followed by a comparison with IS-10500:2012 standards and WHO standards. The findings indicate that all parameters for lake water and groundwater are within the permissible limits established by BIS and WHO standards, with the exception of phosphate, which demonstrates signs of eutrophication in Surinsar Lake. The hand pump water samples contain very high levels of TDS, alkalinity, total hardness, SO42¯, PO43¯, and EC, due to the large residence time of groundwater with the rock minerals, resulting in dissolution. Overall, the cations and anions are in the following order: Ca2+ > Mg2+ > Na+ > K+ and HCO3¯ > SO42¯ > Cl¯ > NO3¯ > PO43¯. Drinking water quality assessments suggest that 100% of the Mansar Lake samples are in excellent class, whereas only 10% of the samples from Surinsar are in excellent class. Our analysis suggests that Mansar Lake water samples are of good quality as compared to Surinsar Lake for various uses including agricultural use. In the case of hand pump samples from these surrounding Ramsar sites, 100% of the Mansar hand pump samples are in the good category, whereas 100% of the Surinsar hand pump samples are in the poor category. The two Ramsar sites, Mansar and Surinsar, need special attention as they are greatly threatened by haphazard developmental activities taking place in their adjoining catchments.