Floodwaters have once again submerged parts of Potiskum, triggering anxiety among residents in flood-prone areas and reigniting debate over Yobe State’s approach to tackling seasonal flooding.
While emergency relief teams are expected to respond, critics say the government’s repeated reliance on post-disaster interventions amounts to “treating the symptoms without curing the disease.”
“This is just the second week of August, and we are already seeing this scale of flooding,” a concerned resident remarked. “What happens when we reach the peak of the rainy season towards the end of August and September?”
With forecasts predicting heavier rainfall in the weeks ahead, concerns are growing over the failure to dredge waterways and clear blocked culverts, measures experts insist are crucial to preventing flooding.
Community voices are also demanding stricter enforcement of environmental laws, including penalties for those who have built illegally on waterways.
“The Yobe State Ministry of Environment and relevant agencies, including YOGIS, must act now to protect at-risk communities from annual devastation,” the resident added, warning that without decisive preventive measures, the cycle of destruction and relief will continue.
