Pigeon Droppings and Lung Health: What Mumbai Residents Should Know

Feeding pigeons is a long-standing tradition in Mumbai. For many people it is an act of kindness, and for some it is a religious practice. In July 2025, the Maharashtra Government announced that the city's traditional kabutarkhanas (pigeon feeding spots) would be closed. Some residents welcomed the decision, while others, including people for whom feeding pigeons is a religious practice, opposed it.

This post looks at the health concerns as reported by The Times of India in July 2025. The situation has changed since then, so check current local guidance.

The health concern: droppings and the lungs

Doctors and health experts have been warning that pigeon droppings are connected to a serious lung condition, Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD), which is reported to affect more than 2 lakh people in India each year.

What is ILD?

• ILD is a group of lung conditions in which lung tissue becomes inflamed and scarred. The scarring is called fibrosis.
• Scarred lungs struggle to pass oxygen into the blood, which leaves people breathless and constantly tired.
• Droppings contain proteins and fungi that can set off an allergic reaction in the lungs. In many people, this develops into a condition called Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis (HP).

What doctors are seeing

• Pulmonologists estimate that hypersensitivity to pigeon droppings lies behind 47% of Mumbai's ILD cases.
• In its early stages, ILD can be treated with steroids. Once fibrosis has developed, however, the damage often cannot be undone.
• Fungi growing in cracks and damp corners, made worse by droppings, add a further risk for people living nearby.

How neighbourhoods have responded

Residents in areas such as Khar and Andheri Lokhandwala have been tackling the problem themselves. Their measures include:

• putting up iron fencing to keep feeders out
• posting security guards to stop people feeding the birds
• turning former kabutarkhanas into gardens and seating areas, which residents say has greatly reduced the number of pigeons

Residents of Daulat Nagar in Santacruz (West) and the area around Khar Station (West) report a visible change since their feeding spots were removed.

Traffic and safety on the street

The problem is not only medical. Feeding spots also:

• draw crowds into already congested spaces
• leave footpaths slippery with droppings, which causes people to fall
• create a nuisance near railway stations and busy junctions

What it means for workplaces

Pigeons do not stay in feeding spots. They roost on rooftops, ledges, ducts, air-conditioning units, warehouses and plant structures, so many workplaces face the same exposure. A practical checklist for facility managers and safety teams:

• Know where birds roost. Include rooftops, plant rooms, ducts and outdoor equipment in routine inspections.
• Keep them out. Use netting, spikes or screens on ledges and openings, and repair gaps in buildings.
• Clean up safely. Do not dry-sweep droppings, which raises dust. Dampen them first, and give cleaners suitable respiratory protection, gloves and coveralls.
• Plan bigger clean-ups. Where droppings have built up heavily, for example in a disused loft or plant room, treat the clean-up as a planned job with a method statement, suitable PPE and proper disposal, not a quick sweep at the end of a shift.
• Look after air systems. Keep air intakes and ventilation clear of nests and droppings.
• Watch for symptoms. Encourage anyone who works near bird droppings and develops a lasting cough or breathlessness to see a doctor and mention the exposure.

Reducing the health risk

Whatever happens to feeding spots in future, the health risks can be reduced. These steps help most:

• Awareness. Knowing how droppings can affect the lungs helps people protect themselves and their families.
• Feeding away from homes and footpaths. Keeping feeding away from where people live, walk and breathe stops droppings building up in those places.
• Safe cleaning. Dampen droppings before removing them, never dry-sweep, and wear suitable respiratory protection and gloves.
• Seeing a doctor. Anyone with a lasting cough or breathlessness should get checked, and mention any regular contact with pigeons or their droppings.

Feeding birds comes from kindness, and for many people it is part of their faith and culture. With care for the health of neighbours and for shared spaces, that kindness and good health can go hand in hand.

How Eduforce can help

Our Respiratory Protection training covers choosing the right device for the hazard, fitting it correctly and maintaining it, and our Industrial Hygiene training deals with the biological, chemical and physical exposures that damage health over time.

Has pigeon feeding affected your neighbourhood or workplace? Tell us at info@eduforce.in, or message us on WhatsApp at 8779291591.

Source: The Times of India, July 2025. This article is for general awareness and does not replace medical advice.