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Nearly 5,000 refugees, mostly Syrian or Iraqi families, crossed
from Turkey in September - a quarter of all arrivals this year,
UNHCR data shows.
While that is a fraction of the nearly 1 million who arrived in
2015 - due to a European Union deal with Turkey to block that
route - four of the five island camps are hosting two or three
times as many people as they were designed for.
"UNHCR urges action on the islands to ease overcrowding, improve
shelter, and stock and distribute appropriate and sufficient aid
items," said Philippe Leclerc, UNHCR representative in Greece.
In the Moria camp on the island of Lesbos, one of the main entry
points, more than 1,500 people are in makeshift shelters or
tents without insulation, flooring or heating, UNHCR said. They
include pregnant women, people with disabilities, and very young
children.
On nearby Samos, about 400 people are living in "very difficult"
conditions and another 300, including families and lone
children, are sleeping in tents in the woods due to a lack of
space in the camp, UNHCR said.
More than 3,000 people on Samos are crammed into facilities
designed to hold 700.
In January, refugees in Greece suffered sub-zero temperatures
when an icy spell gripped parts of the country and scores of
summer tents were weighed down by snow.
More than 60,000 refugees and migrants have been trapped in
Greece since Balkan countries along the northward overland route
to western Europe sealed their borders in March 2016.
UNHCR has been gradually reducing its involvement on the islands
since national institutions took over most services in August.
(Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
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