Kerala Government has decided to set up a mechanism to study the impact of climate change, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan said here yesterday. Launching the anti-epidemic action plan on the World Health Day, he said outbreak of epidemics caused by climate change in the state was a matter of grave concern which needed to be studied scientifically and remedial measures put in place.

Keeping the environment hygienic and clean was a big challenge of modern times. Kerala was once reputed for its effective health care system and cleanliness of the environment. But now disposing the solid waste, including those thrown up by hospitals, had become a major issue, he said.

The waste generated by hospitals included toxic material and to ensure that they were not dumped in public places, existing rules would be enforced strictly, he said.

The disposal of cyber waste was another area of concern and instances of advanced countries shipping them to be dumped in countries like India had been reported, the Chief Minister said.

The departments of science and Information Technology would be asked to evolve methods for handling the cyber waste, he said.

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