Vanita Sangde’s decade-long illness linked to pigeon droppings highlights serious health risks, prompting fresh calls to regulate pigeon shelters in Mumbai despite opposition from some religious groups.
Mumbai | August 7, 2025: The growing health crisis caused by pigeon droppings in Mumbai is now under sharp focus, especially after a disturbing case of 51-year-old Vanita Vijay Sangde. For the past 10–11 years, Vanita has been battling a chronic lung condition traced back to exposure to pigeon droppings near D’Silva School, where she regularly dropped off her son.
Initially dismissed as a minor health issue, Vanita’s symptoms worsened over time, eventually leading to hospitalization. Medical investigations revealed a severe lung infection caused by inhaling particles from pigeon droppings. With no permanent cure, she now survives on daily medication and an external oxygen machine.
Her condition has left her homebound for over a decade, stepping out only for medical appointments. Doctors have recommended a lung transplant, but the associated costs remain unaffordable for her middle-class family. Vanita’s relatives now demand the closure of pigeon shelters in Mumbai to prevent similar tragedies.
Meanwhile, members of the Jain community argue that pigeons do not transmit diseases and continue to oppose the removal of pigeon housing. However, health experts and affected families urge immediate preventive action, stressing that there is no cure — only caution.
This case underlines the urgent need to balance animal compassion with public health concerns in an increasingly urbanized Mumbai.
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