Mumbai Metro 3 Flooding: MMRC Chief Ashwini Bhide Blames Stormwater Drain Near Aqua Line's Acharya Atre Chowk Station Exit

Mumbai: Mumbai’s newly inaugurated underground metro station at Acharya Atre Chowk was forced to shut on Monday after heavy rainfall led to a water-logging incident. On Tuesday, Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) Managing Director Ashwini Bhide clarified that over 11 lakh litres of water from a nearby stormwater drain entered the under-construction entry-exit area of the station, causing flooding inside.

The deluge, which occurred during an intense downpour of about 90 mm within just 90 minutes, overwhelmed the city’s drainage system. According to Bhide, the rainfall coincided with a high tide, resulting in the stormwater drains back-charging instead of draining into the sea. This rare combination, she said, led to the water collecting in a pit near one of the unfinished entry-exits and later breaching the station’s flood protection due to soil erosion.

'Water Did Not Enter Tunnel Or Track Areas,' Says MMRC Chief

She stressed that the main metro station structure remains safe and operational. “The water did not enter the tunnel or track areas. Trains continued running between Aarey JVLR and Worli stations. In fact, 40,000 passengers still used Line 3 on Monday despite the issue,” said Bhide. Metro operations resumed normally on Tuesday morning from 6:30 am, except at the Acharya Atre Chowk station which remains temporarily shut.

Currently, the terminal station at Acharya Atre Chowk has two operational entry-exits out of six planned. The remaining four are under construction, and it was one of these incomplete access points that allowed rainwater to breach the system. While there was a bund wall in place as a temporary flood protection measure, it was not sufficient to contain such an “unprecedented event,” according to Bhide.

Responding to public concern and criticism after images of the flooded station circulated widely on social media, MMRC announced that a permanent protection wall will be constructed to prevent future flooding. “We are building a more robust flood-resilient structure at the affected entry-exit. Once the remaining entry-exits are completed in the next 2–3 months, such issues will not recur,” Bhide assured.

With 22 km of Mumbai Metro Line 3 already commissioned and a daily ridership of 45,000–50,000, MMRC stressed that Monday’s incident was exceptional and that swift response systems ensured commuter safety. Bhide reiterated that evacuation protocols were followed promptly, and emergency systems worked as designed.