Refugee situation in Mytilene slowly improving as new measures kick in

Local authorities on the island reported that 17,500 migrants and refugees on Lesvos had been registered, of which 3,500 were children, at the registration centres set up in the Giorgos Skoufos stadium and the Moria Reception Centre.

More than 10,000 have already left the island in the last 24 hours, though large numbers remain and are still occupying public spaces in the town.

Speaking to ERT Aegean, Lesvos Mayor Spyros Galinos reported that there were more than 30,000 migrants and refugees on Lesvos last Monday, while efforts were being made to relieve congestion in Mytilene's town centre, the port and its squares by the end of the week, at least.

Meanwhile, local residents have written to caretaker Prime Minister Vassiliki Thanou and the relevant ministries to ask for action in an area known as Skala, where the majority of migrants and refugees alight after making the crossing from the shores of Turkey.

They reported that the shore is littered with tonnes of debris, mainly from the rubber boats and life-jackets discarded by the arriving refugees, which pose a threat to tourism and the environment.

"Plastic boats arrive daily and each one lets off 40 to 50 refugees and migrants. Many of these come ashore among those swimming at Kagia beach, which for several years now has received a 'Blue Flag'. These people, as they set off for the town of Mytilene (a distance of 50 km) leave behind them literally tonnes of plastic boats, life jackets and refuse," the residents wrote.

They pointed out that much of this refuse was left in hard-to-access locations, where its retrieval and removal by non-experts was extremely difficult, and raised the alarm over possible future environmental repercussions.

Another problem raised was the theft of outboard motors on the boats by less scrupulous locals, often before those inside the vessels were safely ashore, as well as fears that the situation would foster racist attitudes, even though the island's residents had so far been supportive of the refugees.

Action to relieve the plight of refugees has also been taken on other Greek islands, such as the island of Chios where the local medical association invited its members to voluntarily assist with a surgery for refugees and migrants on the island. Meanwhile, island authorities have proceeded to hire a part-time paediatrician specifically to cater for the children of refugees arriving daily on Chios, unless they find someone willing to volunteer.