Volos, August 31- A month-long state of emergency has been declared in the central Greek port city of Volos after millions of dead fish washed up along its coast, raising concerns among local residents about the potential threat to their livelihoods. 

Vassilis Papageorgiou, the Secretary General of Civil Protection for Greece's climate ministry, announced the state of emergency on Saturday, citing the urgent need for funds to clean up the Pagasetic Gulf port. The Athens News Agency reported that the declaration highlighted the presence of tons of dead fish along the coastline and in nearby rivers.

This incident marks the second major environmental disaster in the Thessaly region within a year. Last fall, storms Daniel and Elias caused extensive flooding, submerging approximately 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) of plains in Thessaly. According to Dimitris Claudatos, a professor of agriculture and environment at the University of Thessaly, the floods displaced various freshwater fish, which were carried from rivers to the sea.

Since the flooding, the water levels in the lakes have drastically decreased, prompting the freshwater fish to migrate towards the port of Volos, which connects to the Pagasetic Gulf and the Aegean Sea. Unfortunately, these freshwater fish could not survive in the saltwater environment.

Authorities have been working to clear the massive amounts of dead fish from the area. It was reported that 57 tons of dead fish were removed from the beach near Volos on Tuesday alone.

The cleanup efforts are expected to continue throughout the month-long state of emergency as local and national authorities work to mitigate the environmental and economic impact of this disaster.