It was built about 1 km (0.62 mi) upstream of the Puthen dam on the Paralayar River.

Tamaraparani River rises in the Western Ghats and flows through a distance of 56 km (35 mi) before debouching into the Arabian Sea.

The reservoir is thickly forested and inhabited by wild animals such as tiger, elephants, and deer.

[7][3] The dam is provided with drainage gallery of 45.7 m (150 ft) length in the central section of the river.

[2] During the period 1964-70 the storage capacity of the Pachipprai and Parunchani dams was increased by raising the full reservoir level by 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in); this involved rising, strengthening, and improvement measures.

There is a small branch canal taking off from the KLBC, before it joins the Puthen weir, which has an irrigation command of 6,073 ha (15,010 acres).

[2][10] The interlinking of the Perunchani and Chittar dams provides an additional irrigation potential of 15,000 acres (6,100 ha) in the system.