In the context of industrialization and human activities, water bodies gradually get destroyed, polluted and transformed in a way that adversely affects aquatic ecosystems and human health. Sugar industrial effluents are a significant source of water pollution as they discharge heavy metals and nutrients into the ecosystems; they are also high in BOD and suspended solids which create a greater OS in water. This review discusses the oxidative stress measured in freshwater fish associated with sugar mill effluent discharges. Such industrial effluents, including those from sugar mills, contain a high load of organic and inorganic contaminants that pose a threat to the aquatic environment. As a hardy freshwater fish species, Tilapia is important because it is a useful pollution bio-indicator due to its ecological and economic value. The review summarizes biochemical and molecular responses of oxidative stress in organisms found nearby effluents discharge areas and specially focused on the changes of antioxidant enzyme activities, lipid peroxidation as well as protein oxidation. In this review we also find out the composition of effluent and its deleterious effects on oxidative biomarkers, and their relationship with fish health. This assessment also underlines the demand for eco-toxicological assessment and measures to control the negative impacts of industrial effluents on fish populations and freshwater ecosystem.