encharcos

Encharcos is the plural form of encharco in Spanish and refers to pools of standing water formed on the ground after rainfall or by other causes of water accumulation. They result from a combination of high rainfall intensity, soils with low permeability, poor drainage, and terrain depressions that slow runoff. Encharcos can appear in urban environments, where impermeable surfaces and blocked drains impede infiltration and drainage, as well as in rural areas, especially on flat, clay-rich or naturally wet ground.

The size and duration of encharcos vary: from small puddles that disappear after minutes to larger, longer-lasting water bodies in depressions or wetlands. Ecologically, encharcos can provide habitat for amphibians, aquatic invertebrates, algae, and plants, and they influence moisture regimes in surrounding soils. For agriculture and horticulture, extended waterlogging reduces root oxygen availability, risks root diseases, and can impede crop growth; mitigation includes improving drainage, soil structure, organic matter content, and, in some cases, raised beds or soil mounding.

In everyday language, the term also denotes the general phenomenon of waterlogged ground or muddy conditions after rain. The concept is widespread in Spanish-speaking regions, though terminology and thresholds for what counts as an encharco may vary locally.