By DC Correspondent
Copyright deccanchronicle
Nellore: District collector Himanshu Shukla on Wednesday announced that a large-scale Miyawaki plantation drive would be taken up across the Nellore city soon as part of a Rs 13.50 crore grant sanctioned under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) for 2025-26. Chairing the NCAP implementation committee meeting at his chamber, the collector said the funds would be used for dust control and pollution reduction projects, including end-to-end road paving, greenery development and mechanical road sweeping, alongwith Miyawaki plantations to enhance urban green cover. The Miyawaki method, a Japanese ecological restoration approach, creates dense, native and biodiverse forests in a short span of time. Such plantations not only act as natural sound and dust barriers but also help recharge groundwater, conserve biodiversity, improve air and soil quality, absorb carbon efficiently, and restore degraded land. The initiative is expected to create a resilient ecosystem with long-term benefits for both the environment and local communities. Pollution Control Board executive engineer Ashok Kumar explained that Nellore is among 13 cities in Andhra Pradesh identified by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) as “non-attainment cities” due to high PM10 levels. A comprehensive clean air action plan, prepared with state-level consultation and approved by the CPCB, will now be implemented by a City Implementation Committee. The meeting was attended by municipal commissioner O.Y. Nandan, DTC B. Chander, industries department general manager Maruthi Prasad and other officials.
