Colombo, Aug 5 — Sri Lankan authorities held a special discussion on Wednesday to ensure the uninterrupted conduct of two national examinations amid prevailing adverse weather conditions.
Representatives from the Department of Meteorology, the Disaster Management Centre and the Department of Examinations attended the meeting.
The participants discussed contingency measures for the Grade Five Scholarship Examination and the General Certificate of Education Advanced Level Examination if adverse weather continues in the coming days.
The Disaster Management Centre said it would establish a special unit at its operations room to monitor possible disruptions to examination activities.
Boats and disaster response teams have also been placed on standby to assist candidates and examination staff in the event of flooding, the centre said, Xinhua news agency reported. The 2026 Grade Five Scholarship Examination is scheduled for August 9 at 2,723 centres across the country. The 2026 Advanced Level Examination will be held from August 10 to September 5 at 2,532 centres.
At least six people have died due to adverse weather conditions currently affecting Sabaragamuwa Province and Kandy and Nuwara Eliya districts in central Sri Lanka, local police said Tuesday.
In one landslide incident triggered by heavy rainfall in Hatton, Central Province, four individuals died after a mound of earth collapsed onto a house.
Earlier, Nuwara Eliya District Secretary Thushari Tennakoon said that a total of 2,331 individuals from 581 families in the district have been affected by the prevailing adverse weather conditions.
Meanwhile, 1,734 people have been relocated to seven safety centres established in the district.
Several areas in central Sri Lanka are currently experiencing heavy rainfall, causing risks of floods and landslides. The country's National Building Research Organisation has previously issued level-3 landslide warnings to parts of Kandy and Nuwara Eliya districts.