World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2025. And in Poland – it’s dry…

Today we celebrate the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, which aims to raise awareness about the deepening water deficit and its tragic consequences. And it’s not just about Africa or the Middle East. The Polish Geological Institute – National Research Institute (PIG-PIB) has just published alarming data on the state of groundwater in the country.

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought under the theme of regeneration

This year marks the thirtieth celebration of the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, held under the slogan: Regenerate land. Open new possibilities. Instead of focusing solely on the advancing degradation of soils and its severe consequences, the organizers propose a slightly more optimistic approach.

According to representatives of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), soil regeneration should become the key to increasing global water and food security. If implemented on a sufficiently large scale, it can boost economies, help create new jobs, and become an important element in building global resilience to climate change.

UNCCD emphasizes that fighting desertification requires enormous investment. Experts estimate that to stop and reverse the process of soil degradation, the world must invest $1 billion per day over the next five years. Unfortunately, the current annual total of investments in land regeneration does not exceed $66 billion.

The drought problem in Poland is growing

Looking at the green parks and lawns in June, it’s hard to imagine that drought is a real issue in our country. But appearances can be deceiving – something farmers are reminded of every year.
The latest analysis by PIG-PIB presents changes in groundwater levels at 185 monitoring sites across the country for the period from May 1 to May 31. The results are decidedly unfavorable, indicating a continued decline in average groundwater levels observed at 86% of the monitoring points – 10% more than in April.

At 14% of the sites, a hydrogeological low was identified, which can hinder water extraction from shallow wells. Another 30% of measurements indicated dangerously low water levels that – if drought occurs – risk developing into hydrogeological lows. According to PIG-PIB, the worst conditions currently prevail in the central and eastern parts of the country, particularly in the Lubelskie, Mazowieckie, Podlaskie, and Warmińsko-Mazurskie provinces.

There’s also less water in rivers

The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought has also coincided with a rather grim report from the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management – National Research Institute (IMGW-PIB). As of 8:00 a.m. today, low water levels were recorded at 58% of hydrological stations nationwide. At 111 stations, flow rates were below the multi-year average low flow.

A bulletin from the Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation – State Research Institute (IUNG-PIB), covering the period from April 11 to June 10, reports drought threats to spring cereals, winter cereals, and everyone’s favorite summer fruit – strawberries. The most difficult conditions in this regard are currently in the Zachodniopomorskie province.

Is there any chance for improvement? For the next five days, IMGW-PIB forecasts only scattered rain showers, which won’t significantly change the overall hydrological situation in Poland. The outlook for the next five weeks is equally bleak – by the end of July, precipitation totals across most of the country are expected to reach only 37–60% of the multi-year average.

What can be done?

Returning to this year’s theme of the Day to Combat Desertification and Drought – the importance of soil regeneration can hardly be overstated. In an interview with Agnieszka Hobot, Katarzyna Żyłowska from IUNG-PIB spoke about regenerative and carbon farming, suggesting what steps farmers can take to retain water in their fields.

We still don’t know how to control rainfall. But we can take care of the soil – for the benefit of nature, the economy, and the summer fruit stands.