The present study attempts to capture the environmental impacts of industrial effluent irrigation from a tanning industrial cluster. In the recent years, groundwater in the study area forms the mainstay of domestic water supply source for meeting the community needs. But the threat of chromium contamination in the ground waters is looming large over the study area. In view of this, it is of paramount importance to look for and to evaluate the chromium levels in the drinking waters of the area and assess their status of potability in the light of the criteria laid by Bureau of Indian standards (B.I.S) Chromate poisoning causes severe skin disorders such as allergic dermatitis and liver and kidney damage. There is considerable evidence that chromium is carcinogenic. Forty ground water samples were identified for sampling and chromium analysis, from the area covering about 1.2 Sq.Km, in and around the industrial cluster. The analysis reveals that 57.5% of the samples are non-potable due to the presence of excess chromium and the results show that there is a definite correlation between the ill health faced by the residents of the area and ground water contamination.