The Sustainable Development, Wildlife and Regional Development Ministry is confident that by mid 2019, the long existing human–elephant conflict could be done away with.
Minister Field Marshel Sarath Fonseka said a 2,500km-long fence system will be constructed in addition to the 4,500km-long fencing existing in 16 districts where human–elephant conflict is on the increase.
In addition to the construction of new fence, special effort is being made to keep the existing fence reinforced and invulnerable to elephant attacks, with the same technology being adopted for the new fence.
A spokesperson of the Wildlife Department told the Daily News that the construction of one kilometre of protective fence costs the department Rs. 600,000 to 656,000 and the erection of the new fence of 2,500km would cost around Rs. 2 billion.
It is planned to detail a force of around 7,000 Wildlife officers and civil security guards to look after and maintain the fence system round the clock.
According to the spokesperson, instead of constructing a fence dividing the wildlife and forest reservations as at present, the fence would be erected separating both wildlife and forest reservation on one side from the human habitation and cultivation zones, on the other. It is believed that such a new approach would be more productive and efficient. In the Anuradhapura district, 39 wild elephants were killed in 2016 and 35 in 2017, whereas 12 persons and 11 persons were killed in 2016 and 2017, respectively, in the human– elephant conflict.
During the nine-month period up to September 2018, 40 wild elephants and 12 persons died.
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