Environment News

Pichavaram Mangrove Restoration

September 22 , 2026 7 hrs 0 min 83 0

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and Forest Department have created a new 25-hectare mangrove patch in Pichavaram, Cuddalore district, at a cost of ₹1.97 crore.
Mangroves are salt-tolerant coastal plants that protect shorelines from erosion, storms and tidal waves, provide nursery grounds for fish and other marine life, and help store carbon.
Over 75,000 Rhizophora apiculata saplings were raised in a Forest Department nursery and planted using a modified fish-bone method.
The plantation was planned to compensate for mangrove loss during the widening of the East Coast Road and National Highway (NH)-332A; the actual damage at Marakkanam Estuary was reduced to 0.15 hectares and just over 100 trees.
Three sites—Vandalmunai, MGR Thittu and Kottumunai—were selected in the Pichavaram mangrove region after suitable land was not available in Chengalpattu and Villupuram districts.