Why in the news?
Observed on 5 December each year, World Soil Day 2025 highlights the need to protect soil health amid rapid urbanization. Theme: Healthy Soils for Healthy Cities.
Objective
• Raise global awareness on soil degradation
• Promote sustainable soil management
• Highlight soil’s significance for food security, water regulation, biodiversity, and climate resilience
History • Proposed by the International Union of Soil Sciences in 2002 |
Why Focus on Urban Soil
• Important for stormwater absorption and flood control
• Helps in temperature regulation in cities (reduces heat island effect)
• Filters air and water pollutants
• Supports urban biodiversity
• Currently threatened by concretization, pollution, and shrinking green spaces
Global Concerns
• Takes up to 1,000 years to form a few centimeters of fertile soil
| The black cotton soil of India has been formed due to the weathering of (2021)
(a) brown forest soil (b) fissure volcanic rock (c) granite and schist (d) shale and limestone |
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