World Soil Day

When rain hits natural ground, much of it seeps down, replenishing groundwater reservoirs. However, sealed surfaces send rainwater rushing off into drains, rivers, and eventually seas. This dramatically reduces groundwater recharge, putting entire communities at risk of water shortages. Urban sealing creates multiple environmental issues:Reduced groundwater recharge: Impermeable surfaces drastically lower groundwater replenishment rates. Increased flood risk : Rapid runoff from sealed surfaces leads to frequent and intense flooding in urban areas. Water pollution : Stormwater runoff from sealed surfaces picks up pollutants and debris, affecting water quality. Urban heat islands : Sealed surfaces retain heat, raising city temperatures significantly above surrounding areas. Between 2012 and 2018, urban soil sealing in the EU and UK led to an estimated loss of  approximately 670 million cubic meters of potential water storage capacity  in Functional Urban Areas (FUAs). To put th...

The Water Exploitation Index Plus (WEI+) provides a clear picture of Europe’s water stress, measuring how much water countries extract compared to available resources. The 20 Most Affected European Countries:Groundwater Shortage Across Europe. Countries like Cyprus, Malta, and Romania experience acute groundwater shortages. High sealing rates in rapidly urbanizing regions compound these issues.

Q1: What is urban soil sealing? Urban soil sealing occurs when natural land surfaces are covered with impermeable materials like asphalt and concrete. This process blocks rainwater from infiltrating the ground, disrupting groundwater recharge.​ Q2: How does urban soil sealing affect groundwater levels? By preventing rainwater from soaking into the soil, urban soil sealing reduces the replenishment of groundwater reserves. This leads to decreased availability of groundwater for drinking, agriculture, and ecosystems.​ Q3: Why have farmers been blamed for groundwater shortages? Farmers have been historically blamed due to visible water usage in agriculture and the ease of tracking agricultural water consumption. However, urban areas, despite occupying only about 2.5% of Europe’s land, have a disproportionately high impact on groundwater depletion due to soil sealing.​ Q4: What measures have farmers taken to mitigate their impact on groundwater? Farmers have adopted practices such as reduc...

  Soils have diverse chemical, physical and biological properties. As a consequence, they differ in their responses to management practices, their inherent ability to deliver ecosystem services, as well as their resilience to disturbance and vulnerability to degradation. The Status of the World’s Soil Resources report identified ten key threats that hamper the achievement of SSM. These threats are: soil erosion by water and wind, soil organic carbon loss, soil nutrient imbalance, soil salinization, soil contamination, acidification, loss of soil biodiversity, soil sealing, soil compaction and waterlogging . These different threats vary in terms of intensity and trend depending on geographical contexts, though they all need to be addressed in order to achieve sustainable soil management. SSM shall contribute to addressing global challenges, and meeting international commitments, including:  • the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development , where SSM could directly or indirectly c...