Nov 10, Colombo: Sri Lanka Deputy Minister of Agrarian Services and Wildlife S.M. Chandrasena says that electric fences covering 1,500 kilometers will be built soon to prevent the man-elephant conflicts.

The Deputy Minister said that the construction would be conducted urgently under the guidance of President Mahinda Rajapaksa under whose direct purview the Ministry of Wildlife functions.

The construction of electric fences aims to prevent crop damage by elephants and also to save the lives of the wild elephants from the farmers' attacks.

Recently the wildlife authorities and police arrested a man for electrocuting an elephant with a home-made device.

The Deputy Minister further stated that the 40,000- strong Civil Defence Force would assist the Ministry in construction.

The Ministry has also taken steps to repair tanks in forest reserves for elephants to find water easily.

The Minister further said that an insurance scheme would also be implemented to provide relief in case of death, injury or crop damage in man-elephant conflicts.