Sri Lanka, June 6 — Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government Minister A.H.M.H. Abayarathna stated that the Government has granted approval to implement projects for reducing the Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) in the Puttalam district. The Minister mentioned this during a discussion conducted to raise awareness of such projects among public officers, including those who are from the Wildlife Conservation Department and the public. He also mentioned that the Central Government has given instructions to make allocations for the relevant projects.
Approval of the Government has been received for several projects proposed by the Coordinating Committee, Puttalam district, headed by the Minister, for reducing the human-elephant conflict. These projects mainly focus on developing areas for food and catchment areas that wild elephants need. The Minister pointed out that by preventing elephants from invading villages by way of cleaning and restoring tanks and catchment areas in protected areas, nearby parks and forests and also growing various types of grass that are essential food for wild elephants in identified areas, it is possible to ensure that wild elephants roam only in forest areas. Accordingly, approval has been granted to the project for restoring the Galwila Park, Puttalam, stated the Minister.
The spread of the Kalapu Andara (Prosopisjuliflora) plant in the Galwila Park, which was established in 2020 and water sources getting contaminated and becoming unusable have led to wild elephants and other wild animals coming close to or into human settlements. The Minister pointed out that wild elephants can be prevented from entering villages by restoring the grasslands and catchment areas in the Galwila Park. Accordingly, the Minister instructed the relevant parties to remove Kalapu Andara plants that have spread throughout the Galwila Park and cultivate grasslands and also to develop catchment areas as soon as possible. The Minister stated that these measures will not only create an environment in which wild elephants can live freely but also boost tourism as an extension of the project.
It is common in the Puttalam district to see a higher elephant population in the surrounding areas of uncultivated lands overgrown with weeds. The Minister has also paid attention to the fact that such uncultivated lands given to the public by the Government cause wild elephants to enter areas closer to human settlements. He mentioned that it would be easier to send wild elephants roaming in those areas to protected areas by way of taking over those lands by the Government, clearing them and giving them to people who will re-cultivate them.
Accordingly, such uncultivated lands overgrown with weeds will be taken over by the Government and handed over to relevant parties for industries or cultivation. However, before moving to that step, the relevant landowners will be given a concessionary period of about three months, stated the Minister. The Minister also mentioned that the Government has granted approval for the above proposal made by the development committee. During the discussion, the relevant officials were instructed to make the cultivators and landowners aware of the above and take the necessary steps.
