Disturbing reports have emerged from student dormitories in Komotini, northern Greece, where residents are living alongside rodents, dealing with rusty, brown-colored tap water, and navigating flooded hallways.

A student living in the dorm described the conditions on MEGA TV’s Buongiorno: “We are sharing rooms with rats, finding droppings, and washing in water contaminated with rust. Some rooms are flooded. Most of these conditions are simply unsustainable for students.”

The rector of Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH), Fotios Maris, acknowledged the situation, stating, “It is an image that does not honor us. This dormitory is managed by INEDIVIM [the Youth and Lifelong Learning Foundation], not directly by DUTH, but we are cooperating to improve conditions.”

Immediate interventions are already underway. “We have agreed with INEDIVIM on a study of urgent measures, which will be implemented in the very near future,” Maris explained. He also confirmed that funding from the Ministry of Education has been secured for a full-scale renovation of the dormitory and the student cafeteria, with planning expected to conclude by December.

Regarding the brown water, Maris noted that the issue occurs every year when the dorms reopen after being closed for about two months during summer. “The old pipes require flushing at the start of the semester. After that, our university hospital’s public health lab performs thorough water testing,” he said.

Students report that infestations are a recurring problem. “We’ve found rodents and insects every year. Some postgraduate students tell us this has been the case even before Covid,” one resident said. In some cases, students have paid out-of-pocket for pest control, with one reporting a €150 expense to disinfect a room.

Maris emphasized the focus on solutions: “The priority is solving these problems. Of course, students don’t feel comfortable, and that is exactly why we intervene wherever legally possible.”