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Sri Lanka recorded at least one elephant death a day in the first quarter of 2023, nearly half of them due to human causes, putting the country on track for a record death toll from human-elephant conflict, said a report published by Mongaby yesterday.
It quoted experts as having said that various approaches adopted since 1959 to tackle the problem have only aggravated the issue or failed to solve it.
A national plan formulated in 2020 to mitigate the problem has not been fully implemented due to a lack of funding. Wildlife conservationists say that up to 70% of wild elephants could die unless effective measures are urgently adopted.
On average one elephant has died each day in Sri Lanka in the first three months of this year, with nearly half of those deaths due to human causes. This escalation of the perennial problem of human-elephant conflict on the island has prompted calls for urgent solutions to save this endangered and iconic species.
The Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) recorded 151 deaths of Sri Lankan elephants (Elephas maximus maximus) between Jan. 1 and April 28. Of these, at least 67 were due to human intervention, including shooting deaths (38) and electrocution caused by electric fences (23).
Six elephants died after eating so-called hakka patas (jaw bombs), improvised explosive devices concealed in food bait that detonate when bitten. The devices are used by farmers to keep animals from their crops.
Ravi Corea, founder and president of the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society (SLWCS), said he fears Sri Lanka might be on track to set a new unwanted record for the highest number of elephant deaths in a single year.
Elephant deaths last year hit an all-time high of 433, while human fatalities from these conflicts was also a record 145.
“Every time the department sends out these statistics of elephant deaths, there is always an increased hue and cry. This is a good sign. But unfortunately, that outcry subsides with time,” Corea told Mongabay.
The government estimates the population of Sri Lankan elephants, a subspecies of the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), at about 7,000. But wildlife conservationists suggest the real number may be far lower, given the rapid loss of the animal’s habitat and the rising death toll from the conflict with humans.
Sri Lanka has long strived to find a balance between its human and elephant populations amid limited land and resources. But various approaches adopted since 1959 to mitigate human-elephant conflict have only aggravated the problem, according to Corea, who works closely with villagers on the issue.
He blamed this on the authorities’ failure to address the factors that underlie the problem. One of these factors, he said, is the “flawed” process by which authorities allocate land for development projects and other activities like farming.
“Every time there is a development program, they go and grab elephant habitats. Where are these animals going to go? Land settlement schemes are the main drivers of this issue,” Corea said.
“Some elephant habitats are now towns, villages, paddy fields, cultivations, harbors, airports and cricket stadiums. We need to carefully assess and identify the remaining habitats and declare them protected areas,” he said.
The government’s own data underscore this overlap: a national report shows that humans and elephants inhabit the same landscape across 44% of Sri Lanka’s terrestrial area. And 70% of existing elephant range falls within areas where humans live, the report adds.
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Electricity consumers could face a further increase in their bills during the final quarter of this year, with the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) proposing a 1.46 percent tariff adjustment, following a preliminary review of electricity sector costs and projected revenue.
However, the proposed increase is not yet final, and the regulator is scheduled to hold a stakeholder consultation at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) today (November 05), before making its final determination.
The proposed adjustment relates to electricity consumption during October–December 2026. The PUCSL has reduced the initially estimated revenue requirement for a 2.88 percent increase to 1.46 percent after reviewing submissions made by the National System Operator (NSO) and Electricity Distribution Lanka (EDL).
According to the Commission’s preliminary assessment, the electricity sector’s forecast cost of supply for the quarter is Rs. 157.3 billion, compared with projected revenue of Rs. 154 billion.
The assessment also takes into account a revenue deficit of Rs. 1.1 billion carried forward from the previous quarter.
The Commission’s preliminary review has removed certain costs, initially included in the sector’s revenue requirement, resulting in the lower proposed adjustment.
One significant issue concerns generation capacity costs, attributed to Electricity Generation Lanka (EGL). The PUCSL has removed an increase in these costs from its preliminary assessment. It has also revised the additional expenditure claimed in connection with the use of substandard coal during the second quarter.
The Commission has further excluded Rs. 1.1 billion in loan repayments requested by EDL under the Supporting Electricity Supply Reliability Improvement Project, stating that capital expenditure relating to work in progress should be recovered through tariffs only after the relevant assets are completed and capitalised.
The generation mix, and the country’s dependence on different sources of electricity, are also expected to come under scrutiny.
The NSO has forecast electricity demand of 4,796 million units during the October–December period. Major hydroelectricity is expected to account for 32.34 percent of generation, coal 25.68 percent and other renewable energy sources 28.81 per- cent.
However, generation costs are expected to vary during the quarter, with reduced hydropower and renewable energy contributions projected to push December generation costs to around 34 percent above October and November levels, according to information reported on the consultation proposal.
The PUCSL has also raised questions about fuel pricing arrangements, particularly the absence of a Fuel Supply Agreement for EGL and the lack of transparent pricing provisions in agreements covering the West Coast and Sobadhanavi power plants.
Battery energy storage is another factor entering the tariff calculations. The NSO has included Rs. 703 million in capacity costs for battery storage systems, anticipating the phased connection of 160 MW of battery storage capacity.
The public consultation tomorrow will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to examine the assumptions behind the proposed adjustment, including fuel prices, generation costs, capacity payments, renewable energy forecasts and battery storage expenditure.
The PUCSL has invited stakeholder representations in Sinhala, Tamil and English, with approximately 10 minutes allocated to each speaker.
The final decision will be particularly important for households and businesses already facing pressure from electricity expenses, as well as industries for which electricity remains a significant component of operating costs.
Importantly, the 1.46 percent figure is a proposal, not an approved increase. The Commission must complete its review and consider stakeholder representations before announcing its final decision.
The latest development also raises a wider question about the transparency and efficiency of electricity sector expenditure. Consumers will naturally want to know whether additional costs being passed on through electricity bills are fully justified, particularly when generation inefficiencies, fuel procurement arrangements and power plant reliability remain subjects of public concern.
The Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court will deliver its decision on 25 Nov. regarding former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s request to lift the foreign travel ban imposed on him.
The former President appeared before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court yesterday (04). The court imposed the travel ban in connection with the investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.
ITAK MP Sivagnanam Shritharan has requested Canada’s Conservative MPs to press for a review of Canada’s ban on the LTTE and to provide forensic expertise for the Chemmani mass grave investigation.
The Tamil Guardian reported that the request was made at a meeting on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa.
Shritharan, who represents Jaffna, met Conservative MPs Shuvaloy Majumdar and Costas Menegakis, along with a representative of the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, on 27 October.
The delegation led by Sivagnanam Shritharan with Conservative MPs Shuvaloy Majumdar and Costas Menegakis in Ottawa. Photograph: Shuvaloy Majumdar
He asked Canada to review its listing of the LTTE, imposed in 2006 during the peace process, which, he said, had undermined efforts towards a negotiated solution. He told the MPs that in the 17 years since the end of the armed conflict there had been no armed resurgence and still no political solution for Tamils, and that the ban weakened international pressure on the Sri Lankan government. According to the delegation, the Canadian MPs said they would raise the matter with their party leadership.
Shritharan also asked Canada to provide forensic expertise and equipment for the investigation into the Chemmani mass grave, where 583 sets of human skeletal remains have been recovered.
The meeting followed the delegation’s talks with Global Affairs Canada, on 23 October, where Shritharan briefed officials, including Weldon Epp, Assistant Deputy Minister for the Indo-Pacific, on enforced disappearances, land seizures and the lack of justice for Tamils. He called for an independent forensic investigation into Chemmani involving international experts and urged the return of 171 acres of land, in Keppapilavu, and 2,117 acres, in Valikamam North, still held by the Sri Lankan military.
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