Living cells have evolved to sense various environmental stimuli, thus presenting a novel platform to engineer bio-sensing devices. Owing to the ease of genetic modification and preservation, microorganisms have gained a special place as ideal host candidates. Moreover, microbial-derived biosensors are easy to use, inexpensive, compact, and portable. The unique structural and functional features rendering them exceptionally suitable for detection and monitoring of an array of environmentally-related pollutants. The manipulation of regulatory genes could upgrade a range of characteristic features of a biosensor such as sensitivity, selectivity and, target range. Contemporary uses of such genetically-microbe-based biosensors led to the fabrication of biosensors with unprecedented potentialities for monitoring environmental pollution. Herein, we reviewed the current advances in microbial-derived biosensors for monitoring environmentally-related contaminants. A particular emphasis is given to the improvement of genetically-engineered microbial biosensors and their application for environmental pollutants monitoring with up-to-date examples. Critical challenges including technical and societal are also highlighted to decipher the true perspective of microbial-derived biosensors for their widespread adoption and exploitation. Towards the end, the work is wrapped up with concluding remarks and future viewpoints to highlight the value of the microbial-derived biosensors, which could detect various pollutants or toxic compounds from a broader spectrum in the real-time, rapid and unique way with high sensitivity, and outstanding selectivity. (C) 2019 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.