News
So-called experts blind to what is exacerbating human-elephant conflict
By Rathindra Kuruwita
Given that abusive land use patterns are the main reason for human-elephant conflict, one of the best ways to address this issue is the establishment of the National Land Commission, as stipulated by the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, environmentalist Sajeewa Chamikara told The Island.
The establishment of the Commission will minimize the ability of the governments to misuse land to benefit their political and business allies, at the expense of public welfare and the environment, he said.
“There is a lot of talk about full implementation of the 13A. However, no one talks about the Land Commission because this will be politically inconvenient,” he said.
Addendum II of the 9th schedule of the 13th Amendment states that a National Land Commission must be established. One of the main tasks of the National Land Commission is the preparation of a National Land Policy. However, the National Land Commission has not been established yet, although the 13th Amendment was passed in 1987, he said.
“The law states that the government must establish a National Land Commission, that it must prepare a National Land Policy and that representatives from all provinces must be represented in this Commission. The Commission needs a secretariat that has the technical capacity to analyze the social, economic and physical aspects of land use. The law also states that the National Land Policy must be based on science and not on political or ethnic factors. The Commission must look at soil, weather, rainfall, soil erosion, forest cover, environmental and economic factors and come up with general principles on land use. The Provincial Councils must implement their policies, based on the National Land Policy,” he said.
None of the governments have been interested in implementing this because it can prevent land grabbing and deforestation to the benefit of the rich and powerful, he said.
Chamikara said that even the biggest proponents of 13A ignore this provision because almost everyone is tied to big business.He pointed out that there are several bad land use practices that are intensifying the human-elephant conflict.
One of the main reasons for increasing the human-elephant conflict is that the elephants are running out of food, inside the forests, due to human activities, the environmentalist said.
He said that in Hambantota a large number of cattle are let loose in Lunugamvehera, Udawalawa, Madura Oya and Gal Oya national parks due to the influence of parliamentarians. The cows eat plants that are usually consumed by elephants, and other wild animals, and this has resulted in elephants entering human settlements in search of fodder.
“Some people, who live close to the forests, expand their farmlands and build new houses, after cutting down trees. In the past few decades, several invasive plant species, too, have spread into forests, replacing plants that were consumed by animals. Moreover, forests are increasingly getting fragmented, and the government has no plans to control these developments. All these compel elephants to enter villages,” he said commenting on the increased human- elephant conflict in Hambantota.
Chamikara said that the attempts to regrow forests with trees that only have value as timber, i.e., teak, also contribute to the human-elephant conflict because these trees do not provide food for animals. Another factor that attracts elephants to these villages is the establishment of garbage dumps. Elephants and other animals who have been starved are attracted to these garbage dumps.
“The Cabinet paper, titled ‘Taking action to prevent elephants from being attracted to garbage dumps,‘ which was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers, on 30 May, 2017, stated that there are 54 such garbage dumps that are attracting elephants. These sites are located in the dry and intermediate zones of Sri Lanka,” he said.
In addition, some people, who live in the dry and intermediate zones, set fire to forests during the dry season (July/September). This is another reason for elephants to come into villages. The recent forest fire that destroyed over 2,000 palmyrah trees in Kilinochchi can be one such fire, he said.
“There are a large number of forests, where elephants live, that come under the purview of the Mahaweli Authority and the Forest Conservation Department. However, when electric fences are established,the above-mentioned forests are ignored often and only forests that come under the Wildlife Conservation Department are fenced. Moreover, some of these fences are erected, obstructing the paths elephants use to reach tanks during the dry season. In recent years, a number of human settlements have been established, covering the above-mentioned paths,” he said.
In recent times, companies and powerful businessmen, who run large scale commercial agricultural projects and other development projects, have started erecting electric fences without considering how these would affect the human-elephant conflict, Chamikara said. These leave villages, and the farms of small scale farmers, more exposed to elephants.
“Most of the electric fences are substandard, are not properly maintained, and bio barriers have not been established along the fences. These make these fences ineffective,” he said.
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that the Government stands ready to support the University of Peradeniya in rebuilding stronger, safer, and more resilient than before. She made these remarks while visiting the University of Peradeniya on Sunday (07), where she met with student representatives and Heads of Departments affected by the sudden floods that swept through the campus on 27 November.
The visit aimed to personally inspect the damage, which caused extensive harm to academic buildings, student facilities, and key infrastructure. University officials briefed the Prime Minister on the severity of the impact, highlighting significant losses to the Faculties of Management, Agriculture, and Veterinary Medicine, as well as the IT Centre, CDCE, gymnasium, swimming pool, and playgrounds.
The Prime Minister was also briefed on how the disaster disrupted both academic activities and the wellbeing of students and staff, including the loss of more than 110 computers, vital laboratory equipment, examination documents, and four central IT servers, with preliminary damage estimates exceeding Rs. 6 billion. She commended the swift evacuation of nearly 750 students from hostels located along the Mahaweli River and acknowledged the resilience shown by nearly 11,000 students who remained on campus during the crisis.
She expressed her appreciation to the Sri Lanka Army, the Disaster Management Centre, and local donors for providing food, water, and essential supplies at a time when access and communication were severely disrupted.
A joint engineering team has confirmed that university buildings remain structurally stable, although several require urgent repairs. With academic activities suspended until 15 December.
The Prime Minister discussed with the Vice Chancellor and emergency response teams the immediate steps required to restore normalcy and provide necessary support to students whose studies and daily routines have been significantly affected.
During these discussions, the Prime Minister issued a series of directives focusing on both immediate relief and long-term safety. These include restoring essential services such as water, electricity, and safe access pathways for students; accelerating the rehabilitation of heavily damaged faculties and laboratories; strengthening early warning systems for flood-prone areas; and implementing long-term mitigation measures such as riverbank protection, improved drainage, and the relocation of vulnerable facilities. She also directed the relevant agencies to fast-track government assistance, assuring the university community that the Government stands ready to help Peradeniya rebuild stronger, safer, and more resilient than before.
The meeting was attended by Nalaka Kaluwewa, Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education; Kandy District Parliamentarian Thanura Dissanayake, Professor Terrence Madhujith, Vice Chancellor of the University of Peradeniya; and Professor R. W. Pallegama, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Peradeniya, along with Heads of Departments, officials, and student representatives of the University of Peradeniya.
[Prime minister’s media division]
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Level III landslide early warnings issued to the Districts of Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala and Matale extended till 1600 hrs on Tuesday [09]
The Level III RED landslide warnings issued to the districts of Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala and Matale by the landslide early warning center of the National Building Research Organisation [NBRO] have been extended till 1600 hrs on 09th December 2025.
Accordingly,
The LEVEL III RED warnings issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Hatharaliyadda, Yatinuwara, Ududumbara, Pathahewaheta, Medadumbara, Pasbage Korale, Deltota, Poojapitiya, Ganga Ihala Korale, Panvila, Gangawata Korale, Udapalatha, Harispattuwa, Kundasale, Minipe, Doluwa, Thumpane, Akurana, Udunuwara and Pathadumbara in the Kandy district, Kegalle, Galigamuwa, Mawanella, Bulathkohupitiya, Aranayaka, Yatiyanthota, Rambukkana and Warakapola in the Kegalle district, Mawathagama, Mallawapitiya and Rideegama in the Kurunegala district, and Naula, Wilgamuwa, Pallepola, Ambanganga Korale, Laggala Pallegama, Ukuwela, Rattota, Matale and Yatawatta in the Matale district have been extended.
In the meantime,
LEVEL II AMBER warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Uva Paranagama, Meegahakivula, Badulla, Kandeketiya, Bandarawela, Soranathota, Hali_Ela, Ella, Lunugala, Welimada, Haputhale, Passara and Haldummulla in the Badulla district, Dehiowita, Ruwanwella and Deraniyagala in the Kegalle district, Alawwa and Polgahawela in the Kurunegala district, Ambagamuwa Korale, Hanguranketha, Mathurata, Norwood, Kothmale West, Nuwara Eliya, Thalawakele, Nildandahinna, Walapane and Kothmale East in the Nuwara Eliya district, and Kahawatta, Godakawela and Kolonne in the Ratnapura district.
LEVEL I YELLOW warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Yakkalamulla and Elpitiya in the Galle district, Attanagalla, Mirigama and Divulapitiya in the Gampaha district, Narammala in the Kurunegala district, and Eheliyagoda, Opanayake, Kalawana, Imbulpe, Kaltota, Kiriella, Kuruwita, Nivithigala, Ayagama, Pelmadulla, Balangoda, Elapatha and Ratnapura in the Ratnapura district
A special District Coordinating Committee meeting, convened to review the damage caused to the agricultural sector in the Nuwara Eliya District due to Cyclone Ditwah and to discuss the urgent measures required, was held this morning (08) at the Nuwara Eliya District Secretariat. The meeting was chaired by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, with the participation of the relevant responsible officials.
Due to adverse weather conditions, 1,421 hectares of vegetable cultivation in the Nuwara Eliya District has been damaged. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake instructed the relevant officials to take the necessary measures to provide compensation to farmers without delay.
Officials stated that although there has been crop damage, the reduction in the vegetable harvest in the Nuwara Eliya District would be around 25%. They added that Nuwara Eliya district would be able to meet the daily demand, but a decrease in the daily demand has been observed.
Officials further pointed out to the President that the reason for this decline is the spread of false information claiming a vegetable shortage in the Nuwara Eliya District and that prices have excessively increased.
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