Healthy Cities Begin With Healthy Soil: World Soil Day 2025 Perspective

Healthy soil is the basis of life, human existence, food security, and ecological balance. Today this essential resource is facing an alarming global crisis, and Bangladesh is no exception. In this agriculture-dependent country, soil degradation is not merely an environmental issue; it poses a major threat to food security, public health, and the national economy. As fertile land shrinks and soil productivity declines, the future of sustainable food production is becoming uncertain. Rising salinity, loss of organic matter, topsoil erosion, and industrial contamination are directly affecting farmers’ income, rural livelihoods, and the broader market system.

The International Union of Soil Sciences has set the theme for World Soil Day 2025 as “Healthy Soil for Healthy Cities.” The theme is timely, especially in an era of rapid urbanization. By 2050, nearly 70 percent of the world’s population will live in cities. Bangladesh is also experiencing swift and largely unplanned urban expansion. In city planning, soil remains almost invisible, despite being fundamental to water retention, waste management, green spaces, temperature regulation, and overall urban well-being.

Urban soil is deteriorating at an unprecedented rate, mainly due to two critical problems: declining organic matter and heavy metal contamination. Organic carbon levels in city soil are depleting rapidly, weakening soil structure and reducing its capacity to retain water and nutrients. In many industrial zones, the concentration of toxic metals such as lead, cadmium, and chromium has exceeded safe limits. These pollutants not only damage soil health but enter the food chain, posing long-term risks to human health—including kidney failure, neurological disorders, cancer, and impaired brain development in children.

Another growing threat is excessive concretization. Open soil has nearly vanished in many cities. Roads, buildings, parking lots, and pavements have sealed the land surface with concrete and asphalt. As a result, rainwater can no longer seep into the soil; instead, it flows directly into drainage systems, increasing urban flooding and reducing groundwater recharge.

Soil degradation also worsens air pollution. In densely populated cities like Dhaka, a major portion of PM-2.5 and PM-10 particles originates from exposed soil dust. Construction activities, road digging, poor waste management, and heavy traffic create a constant dust storm, which city dwellers breathe every day. Soil properties directly influence the severity of urban air pollution.

Rural soil conditions are equally concerning. Chemical fertilizer use in Bangladesh’s farmland has increased sharply over the last two decades. In the 2022–23 fiscal year, about 6.55 million tons of chemical fertilizers were applied to 8.1 million hectares of agricultural land. To meet the demand for high-yielding crops, farmers often overuse fertilizers, leading to soil acidification, destruction of microorganisms, nutrient imbalance, and mineral depletion. Over time, the soil becomes compact, loses water-holding capacity, and produces nutrient-deficient crops. Meanwhile, the use of organic fertilizers is declining, which is rapidly reducing soil vitality. Reduced application of manure, compost, green manure, and plant residues is weakening soil structure and accelerating topsoil erosion—especially during heavy rainfall. Climate change is intensifying this crisis even further.

A multi-layered crisis like this requires timely, science-based, and coordinated action. Integrated soil management must be ensured—balancing the use of chemical, organic, and microbial fertilizers based on scientific assessment. Technological solutions must be expanded. Remote sensing, GIS, soil sensors, and drone-based soil monitoring tools can help assess soil health across regions more efficiently.

Urban waste management also needs urgent improvement. A significant portion of city waste is organic; converting it into compost can help restore organic matter in urban soil. At the same time, strict regulation is required to control plastic waste, tannery effluents, and industrial discharges. Dust control at construction sites, regular street cleaning, the use of dust suppressants, and high-quality filters in factories must be enforced. Rooftop gardening, urban farming, parks, playgrounds, and green spaces should be encouraged with active citizen participation.

Bangladesh’s macroeconomy, food security, rural-urban balance, and climate resilience are all directly linked to soil. The very soil that sustains life is now under threat. Government policies, scientific innovation, research institutions, local authorities, and civil society must work together. Without timely action, the next generation may inherit cities without clean soil, farms without fertility, and a future without ecological stability.

“Save Soil, Save the Nation” is not a slogan—it is a scientific truth. Healthy soil is the foundation of sustainable food systems, sustainable agriculture, sustainable cities, and a secure future. If soil health is not prioritized now, Bangladesh may face severe challenges to food security and environmental stability in the years ahead. A coordinated national effort is essential to ensure healthy soil, a green environment, and a sustainable, livable country for future generations.

This article is written by popular writer, journalist, social worker, and apprentice lawyer Soyeb Sikder (LLB, LLM, The People’s University of Bangladesh).