Electric fence to be lengthened by a further 1,000 km

Priyanka Kurugala

An extra 400 km will be added to electric fences in NCP

The Wildlife Department is to add another 1,000 km to the electric fence built to contain elephant encroachments on human habitats to further minimise the human - elephant conflict, Wildlife Director General H D Rathnayake said.

An extra 400 km will be added to electric fences covering areas in the North Central Province, Northern Province, Southern Province and North Western Province, he said. Another 500 km will also be added under the Deyata Kirula Development Programme, Rathnayake said.

"Both projects will be completed during 2013. The current electric fence is around 1,400 km. However 150 km of this has been deactivated.

'The government has drawn up plans to reactivate the full length of the electric fence," he said.