Rs 37,000 crore Mumbai metro line 3 gets cheap tarpaulin rain fix

A Rs 37000crore underground Metro line but the monsoon fix Plastic sheets and tarpaulin Days after water flooded the newly opened Acharya Atre Chowk Metro station following heavy rain authorities have responded with quickfix solutions that look more like roadside repairs than part of a modern urban transport systemFrom draping station entrances with plastic to constructing makeshift bund walls the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limitedrsquos MMRCL temporary measures have raised serious concerns about the projectrsquos preparedness for Mumbairsquos rainsFollowing last weekrsquos rain workers cover Marol Naka Metro stationrsquos entrance point with plastic to prevent water ingress PicNimesh DaveAt some Line 3 stations like Marol plastic sheets were temporarily placed over one of the entryexit points However when midday visited the spot on Sunday the plastic sheet had already been removed A portion of an adjacent structure had been covered near entryexit A4 at BKC stationLast weekrsquos waterlogging incident at Acharya Atre Chowk station of Metro Aqua Line 3 triggered a flurry of makeshift measures by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited These include tarpaulin sheets plastic covers over exposed openings and temporary reinforced cement concrete RCC walls at select station entrances to block rainwater from enteringWhile not all Aqua Line stations had these temporary fixes in place midday observed tarpaulin sheets outside BKC Metro station A retaining wall was also under construction outside entry A1 of Acharya Atre Chowk stationSecurity guards and ground staff stationed across multiple Metro 3 stations told midday that the water ingress issue was limited to a few stations mainly those with entry and exit points at road level lacking elevated stepsWhat MMRCL saysldquoDamage assessment has been completed and rectification works are in progress Restoration is expected to finish in the next few days A temporary sandbag bund wall is being built to prevent surface runoffPlastic sheets that had been placed over the Marol Naka Metro stationrsquos entrance point on May 29 were removed days after rain lashed the city PicShadab KhanSimultaneously a temporary RCC retaining wall is under construction to withstand similar water ingress scenarios like those experienced on May 26 2025rdquo said MMRCL Managing Director Ashwini Bhide ldquoAll dewatering pumps at stations are fully functional and currently there is no water accumulation inside the station premisesrdquo she addedSome entry exits of MumbaiMetro3 which are under construction are covered with rainproof material as part of the usual practice being followed by under construction sites during monsoon season of Mumbai so that the construction activity safely continues even during rains httpstcoOFowmqlzO9mdash Ashwini Bhide AshwiniBhide June 3 2025Commuter reactionsldquoAfter the May 26 waterlogging incident when I got stuck at Acharya Atre Chowk station at Worli after work I havenrsquot taken the Metro all week I donrsquot plan to use the underground Metro during the monsoon Irsquod rather return to my earlier commute mdash Marol to Andheri by Metro train to Dadar then a bus to my office near Acharya Atre Chowk Itrsquos longer but familiar and I know how to handle rain disruptionsrdquo said Nandini Maluja a regular commuter ldquoIrsquove travelled a bit on the Aqua Line since it opened The flooding at Acharya Atre Chowk station was unexpected but I havenrsquot seen any leaks personally Itrsquos reassuring to see checks being done at other stationsrdquo said a commuter Cayden Santis a Metro user said ldquoConsidering the risk of getting stuck during heavy rain I will stick to the bus for now If you get stuck underground yoursquoll end up needing a bus or an auto anyway Honestly it might be better if they pause operations during monsoon until the whole line is fully functional and drainage checks are completed People need visual proof that itrsquos safe to useldquoWhile Irsquove used the Metro a few times with colleagues today my family was experiencing it for the first time Since it wasnrsquot raining we gave it a try But last weekrsquos photos and videos were scary It feels risky to travel on this line with kids during monsoonrdquo said Ramnath Pal a SEEPZ resident headed to Siddhivinayak Temple in PrabhadeviActivists speakGodfrey Pimenta AdvocateldquoI hope MMRCL strictly follows safety and environmental standards and takes preventive measures to avoid such incidents in the futurerdquoZoru Bhathena EnvironmentalistldquoThe stationrsquos drainage pumps may not have been activated in time due to the suddenness of the rain Ideally water should have been pumped out immediately without affecting passengersrdquo