Ducts in Tirupati buildings
New apartments. Buildings along the AIR Bypass Road, Renigunta Road and in newer layouts have shafts between flats. Shaded and sheltered from the rain, they attract pigeons quickly.
Independent houses. Some houses have a narrow light well or shaft for ventilation, which pigeons also use.
Residents notice cooing at dawn, droppings on ventilators, blocked exhaust fans and a smell that worsens after the monsoon.
Two approaches
Across the top. One net at roof level closes the shaft for every flat. Needs everyone’s agreement.
At your opening. A net across your ventilator or window into the shaft.
Materials
UV-stabilised HDPE or nylon bird net (50 mm), a tensioned border and stainless-steel hooks, with an access panel near pipes. If monkeys can reach the top of the shaft from the roof, we use a heavier net.
How we install
- Inspect the shaft and decide where to net.
- Plan safe access.
- Clear nests at the fixing points.
- Fix stainless hooks.
- Run and tension the border.
- Lace the net, sealing around pipes.
- Fit the access panel.
New buildings
If your building is new, net the top of each shaft early. In the first year, a pair or two of pigeons can become a colony across several floors.
After the job
Ask plumbers to close the access panel after every visit. Shaft nets sit out of direct sun, so they last longer than balcony nets.
Before we come
Send photos of the shaft from your window and, if possible, from the roof.
Want more detail? See duct area safety nets and the article on why apartment duct areas need nets.
Talking to other owners
In smaller apartment buildings without a formal association, it helps to share photos of nests from different floors and agree to net the top of the shaft together, with the cost shared. One job solves the problem for every flat.
Light wells shared by neighbours
Where two houses share a narrow gap that works as a light well, both families can agree to net it across the top.
Smell after the monsoon
Droppings in a shaft stay damp after the northeast monsoon rains and smell worse. Once the shaft is netted and the ledges cleaned, the smell fades within weeks.
