The National Highways Authority of India has released the first annual report on the National Highways Green Cover Index for 2025–26, introducing a technology driven framework to measure and monitor green cover along the country’s highway network.
The report provides a quantitative assessment of plantations and vegetation along National Highways and has been prepared in coordination with the National Remote Sensing Centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation. The initiative uses advanced satellite based monitoring systems to evaluate the extent of vegetation within the Right of Way along highways.
The National Highways Green Cover Index is designed to provide a scientific and objective measurement of green cover along highways by leveraging high resolution satellite imagery. The assessment relies on chlorophyll detection through satellite sensors to identify vegetation presence along both sides of the highway corridors.
The index is expressed as a percentage value representing the proportion of land covered by vegetation within the Right of Way of National Highways. The measurement is carried out at a granular level of one kilometre segments, enabling detailed mapping and monitoring of green cover across the highway network.
The first assessment cycle of the index has covered approximately 30,000 kilometres of National Highways spread across 24 states. The assessment period for the current report spans from July to December 2024.
Officials said the index will serve as an important tool for tracking changes in vegetation along highways and evaluating the effectiveness of plantation drives undertaken along road corridors. Future annual cycles of the report will monitor year on year changes in green cover, enabling authorities to measure progress and identify areas requiring intervention.
The initiative is being implemented under a three year Memorandum of Understanding signed in January 2024 between the National Highways Authority of India and the National Remote Sensing Centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation.
By integrating satellite based remote sensing technologies into environmental monitoring, the programme provides a reliable, cost effective and time efficient mechanism for macro level estimation of green cover across the national highway network.
Officials noted that the data generated through the index will help in comparing green cover levels across different stretches of highways and enable ranking of segments based on vegetation coverage. The findings will also support targeted interventions to strengthen plantation management and environmental planning along road infrastructure projects.
The National Highways Green Cover Index reflects the growing emphasis on environmental sustainability in infrastructure development and aims to support the green transformation of India’s expanding highway network.
Authorities said the report will help policymakers and highway planners integrate environmental considerations into infrastructure management while promoting large scale plantation and ecological restoration along transport corridors.
