Mumbai's Aqua Line 'lives up to its name' and brings a political storm

Train services from the station were suspended for a few hours

On Monday, the officials of the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRCL) might have been regretting naming Metro Line 3 as the Aqua Line.

Acharya Atre Chowk, one of the stations on the line, literally turned into a water body when the monsoon announced its early arrival in the city. The waterproofing arrangements of the almost fully underground metro line were exposed by the very first showers of rain. This has given the opposition an opportunity to corner the government, and social activists are demanding accountability for the lapse. The incident also raises a question about the viability of an underground metro line in a city like Mumbai.

On Monday morning, when passengers entered the Acharya Atre Chowk station near Worli Sea Face, they were shocked to see the premises flooded, with water gushing in through automatic elevators and staircases. Train services from the station were suspended for a few hours. Reporters who had arrived to cover the aftermath were thrown out by security guards. However, it didn’t take long for the visuals shot by passengers to go viral.

The station was inaugurated with much fanfare on May 10, just 15 days ago. The event marked the extension of train services to Acharya Chowk, which were earlier limited to BKC from SEEPZ. In the next few months, the line is slated to extend to Cuffe Parade in downtown Mumbai. It is the third metro line to begin operations in the city.

Aaditya Thackeray, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and MLA, took potshots at the state government by commenting, “We are seeing an absolute absence of governance in Maharashtra today. Mumbai has collapsed in the rains, and it’s only May.” Thackeray said that the problem of waterlogging at usual spots during the monsoon had been resolved during the MVA government, but those same spots are now flooded once again.

Thackeray had also targeted the Aqua Line project in 2019 over the cutting of trees in Aarey Forest for the construction of a car shed. At the time, both Shiv Sena and BJP were in an alliance government. The protestors were booked on criminal charges, which were later withdrawn when Uddhav Thackeray became Chief Minister in the MVA government.

Anil Galgali, an RTI activist, demanded action against the officials and contractors involved in the planning and construction of the Aqua Line. He said that the planning failed to account for heavy monsoon rains, and that an adequate drainage system was not set up. According to Galgali, the incident raises several questions about construction quality, oversight, and the use of public funds. He urged MMRCL to take disciplinary action against the responsible officials and recover damages from the contractors.

Ashwini Bhide, the MMRCL chief, issued a statement saying that the incident occurred due to sudden and intense rainfall. The ingress of water was from an under-construction gate. A temporary water-resisting wall couldn't prevent the sudden flow of water from an adjoining facility. Restoration work was underway, she claimed.

The city of Mumbai geographically falls under the Konkan region, which receives the highest rainfall during the monsoon. Mumbai has witnessed catastrophic events like the deluge of July 26, 2005, when it was cut off from the world. A similar event occurred in 2017. In a city with a history of floods and deluges, questions are being raised about the viability of an underground metro rail system. The Aqua Line is the only metro line in Mumbai that is underground, with many stations constructed in low-lying areas. The BKC metro station is situated right beside the Mithi River, which wreaked havoc during the 2005 deluge.