The State government has entered into an understanding with IIT-Madras for protection of the Uppada coast in Kakinada district.

As a part of it, a seawall will be constructed there under the expert guidance of IIT-Madras, which will prepare the DPR and also monitor the project implementation, which is scheduled to commence in November.

Kakinada District Collector M.N. Harendhira Prasad and IIT-Madras Ocean Engineering Department professor S.A. Sannasiraj inked the pact in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Environment & Forests K. Pawan Kalyan, at his camp office, near Mangalagiri, on Wednesday.

An official release said the seawall would be built at an approximate cost of ₹323 crore and the State Disaster Management Authority would act as the nodal agency for the project being taken up with the approval of the National Disaster Management Authority.

The AP Maritime Board (APMB) would be the executive agency and IIT-Madras would prepare the design on the basis of a comprehensive study of the intensity of the coastal erosion at Uppada, ocean currents and action of the waves to be done by it.

AP Pollution Control Board Member-Secretary S. Sri Saravanan, Pithapuram Area Development Authority Director N.V. Sivaram Prasad, SDMA Executive Director Khateeb Kouser Bano, and APMB Chief Engineer G.V. Raghava Rao were present.

Published - August 13, 2026 11:51 am IST