Around 6,000 elephants in the wild are presently facing a shortage of water, said environmentalist Nayanaka Ranwella.
Dry weather has especially affected the jumbos inhabiting the forest reserves and jungles in Rajarata and in the eastern, Uva and southern provinces.
Ranwella, secretary of the Wildlife Conservation Forum, warned that they could enter surrounding villages in search of water if there was no change in the weather soon.
Measures such as habitat management, growing grasslands and erecting electric fences around villages have been taken to address arising issues, said president of the wildlife officers association Prabash Karunatileke.
However, elephant passes get blocked sometimes, thereby causing them to invade the villages to heighten the human-elephant conflict that claim the lives of around 450 elephants each year, he said.
The wildlife officer added that a permanent solution to this issue could prevent fatalities in both sides by 90 per cent.
