NEW DELHI — A swelling population of rock pigeons and the resulting health and sanitation crisis in the capital have triggered a bureaucratic turf war, with municipal departments actively avoiding responsibility for controlling the bird menace. As acidic pigeon droppings accumulate on public spaces and monuments, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is struggling to assign jurisdiction over the issue.
MCD Departments Refuse Ownership
The controversy began when the MCD’s public health wing asked the veterinary department to regulate public feeding and check the bird population. However, the request was rejected.
A senior veterinary department official clarified that the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act (DMC Act) does not list pigeons under its purview.
“We have clarified that pigeons don’t fall under our jurisdiction. The DMC Act mandates us to regulate cattle, dogs, horses and other quadruped animals… Pigeons are simply not in our mandate,” the official stated.
The file has since been shuffled to the sanitation wing and the general branch, both of which are equally reluctant to take charge, leaving the fundamental question whose responsibility are the pigeons unanswered.
Health Risks and Population Boom
Public health officials are warning that the unregulated feeding, often facilitated by hawkers selling grain at busy intersections, is driving an exponential boom in the rock pigeon population.
• Health Risks: Pigeon droppings, which officials estimate can amount to 11.5 kg per bird annually, are linked to several health risks. These droppings can carry pathogens such as Salmonella, E. coli, and a range of diseases including psittacosis and histoplasmosis.
• Structural Damage: The acidic excreta also corrodes buildings and historical monuments across the city.
The MCD public health department has emphasized the urgent need to regulate feeding, although a July note conceded that “there is no data available to quantify disease due to pigeons in Delhi.”
The issue of the growing pigeon menace was also flagged in a standing committee meeting of the corporation. The current situation mirrors challenges in other cities Mumbai civic body, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), recently banned public pigeon feeding before agreeing to scout new, controlled locations following public protests.