On the Greek island of Lesbos, the tents in the new refugee camp have been flooded by several heavy rains in recent times. The temporary camp was built after the infamous Morial camp burned down.
Naomi is one of the residents there, and she thinks the situation is even worse in the new camp.
– In Moria we could stay dry if it rained, but here the tents take in water. If it rains, we can not sleep.
Naomi, who is from Congo, has been on Lesbos for 11 months with her brother and three-year-old son. She used to live in the now burnt down Moria, and she says she preferred Moria to this new tent camp.
The night before it has rained heavily, videos from inside the camp show migrants trying to scoop up water and stow away clothes to stay dry. Between the tents you try to dig some drainage.
Now it is nice weather again, but the wind is freshening up. The new camp is located right by the sea, unlike Moria which was located on a hill. Currently, 7,500 people live here. People live in different sections, divided by nationality, and those infected with corona live in their own isolated part. The police presence is high, unlike in Moria, so it is not as violent at all.
Sixteen-year-old Afghan Mohammad Husseini thinks the camp works well, at least when the sun is shining, but like Naomi thinks it is hard when it rains.
– It’s good sunny days like this, but if it rains it’s a problem.
According to Astrid Castelein, head of the UNHCR on Lesbos, the floods are due to the fact that the camp is located so low, and that the ground does not absorb water.
– One of the challenges is that the camp is at a low level and the substrate is clay, which means that the substrate does not absorb water, she says.
Now you work with trying to equip the tents to withstand a winter by the sea. Finding another more suitable place is not relevant – the opposition to a new camp on the island is too great.
– When the government proposed a place on western Lesbos, resistance and also violence erupted so those plans were canceled. This place has been accepted, says Astrid Castelein.
Source: ICELAND NEWS