Chennai, Mar. 22 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi today chaired an emergency meeting of ministers and senior officials to review the damage and loss of lives in 70 villages of the state that were battered by heavy rains over the past few days.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Karunanidhi said that most of the rain-affected areas were cut-off and standing crops on 40,233 acres of land had been damaged in nine districts.

Non-stop rains in Nilgiris for the past six days has forced residents indoors in Udhagamandalam, while 20,000 acres of paddy crop in Tirunelveli have been submerged under floodwater With trees falling on the Kothagiri-Dottapeta road in Nilgiris, vehicular movement has been affected.

Twenty villages have been cut off due to landslide, but no casualty has been reported, official sources said.

The Tamirabarani river in the state's Tirunelveli District is in spate, while the water level of Papanasam Dam stood at a dangerous 104.65 feet. Water levels at the Servalaru and Manimutharu dams were pegged at 119 feet and 95.4 feet respectively.

Radhapuram, Tirunelveli and Coimbatore districts are the worst affected by the rains.

In Chennai, the four reservoirs, Chembarambakkam, Porur, Puzhal and Red Hills are fast filling up.

Karunanidhi has announced a solatium of Rs one lakh to the next of kin of the nine killed by the downpour.

He also said that the owners of damaged huts would be paid Rs. 2000 each and given five kg of rice, one litre of kerosene, a dhoti and a saree, he said, adding that farmers whose standing crops had been effected would be paid Rs 4,000 per heactare.

On seeking Central aid for relief work, he said the damage was not so severe to demand that. (ANI)