Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa stated that wild elephants do not recognize district boundaries and emphasized that the human-elephant conflict currently seen in Kahalla Pallekele is also affecting the districts of Kurunegala, Puttalam, Anuradhapura, and Matale. He stressed that urgent attention must be given to the issue, noting that nearly 70% of the country’s elephant population lives outside protected areas.
He made these remarks while addressing the Sri Lanka Parliamentary Forum on Climate. Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and Member of Parliament Professor L.M. Abeywickrama serve as co-chairmen of the forum.
Premadasa stated that implementing this programme at the district level is a positive step and emphasized the need for a solution regarding the presence of wild elephants in residential areas, based on the National Land Use Plan presented by expert groups.
He further warned that the situation could worsen if an El Niño condition occurs.
According to the Opposition Leader, an increase in drought conditions caused by El Niño would intensify human-elephant conflict, lead to greater crop damage, and reduce harvest yields. He described this as a vicious cycle and said urgent solutions are needed to address the issue.
Calls to Expedite Kasikote Elephant Tunnel Project
Premadasa also said that an elephant tunnel is planned to be constructed beneath the railway line in the Kasikote area and stressed that the Railway Department should coordinate with the Road Development Authority (RDA) to expedite the project.
Several experts and scholars also participated in the event, including Dilum Alagiyawanna, Prof. B.S. Sampath Seneviratne, Prof. Inoka Kudavidanage, Dr. S. Wijayamohan, Anjali Watson, Dr. Andrew Kittle, Deepthi Devika Wickramasinghe, Dr. U.K.G. Kalinga Padmalal, Dushyantha Ravindra Silva, and Shanaka Aravinda Kalubowila.
