VIJAYAWADA: Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Forests and Environment Konidela Pawan Kalyan has directed officials to accelerate the implementation of the Great Green Wall of Andhra Pradesh project and complete the 2026-27 plantation targets within the next two months by making optimum use of favourable weather conditions.
Reviewing the project’s progress with senior Forest Department officials on Monday, Pawan Kalyan assessed division-wise achievements, the extent of plantations completed, the number of saplings planted and the targets set for mangrove expansion during the current year.
He congratulated officials for helping Andhra Pradesh secure the second position in the country in mangrove expansion over the past two years, describing it as a significant national recognition.
Pawan Kalyan said the TDP-led- NDA coalition government considered the ‘Great Green Wall’ as a flagship initiative aimed at protecting the State’s 1,053-km coastline from erosion, climate change and extreme weather events.
He noted that a five-kilometre-wide green belt is being developed along the coast and that an action plan has been prepared to expand plantations across 8,888 hectares during the current financial year.
He also recalled that an additional 70 lakh saplings had been allocated to coastal districts under the VB-G RAM G scheme, would strengthen the Green Wall initiative. Pawan Kalyan said nearly 5,000 hectares have been earmarked for palm plantations this year, with seed collection and planting scheduled during August and September.
He stressed that palm groves along canals, tanks and coastal stretches would serve as effective wind barriers and called for greater public participation in developing palm forests and social forestry plantations.
Around 2,500 hectares have been identified for planting these saplings.
Highlighting mangrove conservation, Pawan Kalyan said the State expanded mangrove cover by about 740 hectares in 2024-25 and 1,930 hectares in 2025-26, helping Andhra Pradesh rank second nationally in mangrove afforestation. He directed officials to undertake 305 hectares of mangrove restoration under the MISHTI-II programme during November and December.
He further said the project envisages a three-tier coastal protection system comprising restored mangroves and shelter belts along the shoreline, followed by community buffer zones with village forests, social forestry and agroforestry.
The Deputy CM has instructed officials to implement plantations based on local ecological conditions while ensuring continuous field-level monitoring and coordination among all departments through the Andhra Pradesh Greening and Climate Change Mitigation Society.