Chief Minister M.K. Stalin laid the foundation stone for a small dam across the Koilmalaiyar River at Melarasanpattu village in Vellore district. The dam on this Palar tributary will rise between the Melarasanpattu and Karuthamalai Reserve Forests near Amirthi Zoological Park on the Jawadhu foothills. It is the Water Resources Department's first dam since Mordhana Dam on the Koundinya River at Gudiyatham (2001). Bheeman Falls in the Veerapanur Reserve Forest, Tiruvannamalai, is a key source of the river, which joins the Palar about 30 km from the site. Dams below 5 m height are classed as small, 5-15 m as moderate and above 15 m as large.