The local government of Rizal cited the water supply dam developed by Prime Infrastructure Capital Inc.-led WawaJVCo Inc. as a key factor in reducing the impact of the flooding caused by Super Typhoon “Carina.”
Governor Nina Ynares told President Marcos during a situation briefing that without the Upper Wawa Dam, flooding in certain areas of the province could have been significantly worse.
Ynares said the Upper Wawa Dam’s reservoir needed six months to fully impound water. However, due to the heavy rainfall from Super Typhoon “Carina” and the enhanced “habagat,” the reservoir was nearly filled in just two days.
“Mr. President, some time this month, we were together during the inauguration of (Upper) Wawa Dam. We saw it was empty and (they said) it would take six months for them to fill it up…If without it, I feel that, most likely, San Mateo and Montalban would be down, and definitely, Marikina and parts of Quezon City and even Pasig would be affected,” said Ynares.
WawaJVCo Inc. is the developer and operator of the Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project. Phase 2 of the infrastructure project is the Upper Wawa Dam, which began impounding its reservoir on July 10.
The project, while designed as a water supply dam, can also help mitigate flooding in downstream communities, particularly low-lying areas in Rizal province and the eastern district of Metro Manila.
President Marcos agreed with the Rizal governor as he saw photos of the super typhoon’s flood water entering the reservoir.
“The Upper Wawa Dam project by WawaJVCo has significantly reduced the effects of flooding in comparison to previous occurrences,” the provincial government highlighted in its presentation to the President.
The Upper Wawa Dam features a reservoir of about 450 hectares, approximately twice the size of Bonifacio Global City, and can store up to 120 million cubic meters of water. It is the largest dam to be built in over 50 years, with the critical objective of addressing water supply security in Metro Manila and the province of Rizal.
The floodwater entering the dam’s reservoir peaked at approximately 2,100 cubic meters per second (m³/s) based on measurements conducted throughout July 24.
The controlled impoundment successfully managed the discharge downstream to approximately 200 m³/s, significantly lessening the impact of the floods by a factor of 10.
The Upper Wawa Dam reservoir accumulated over 90 million cubic meters of water during the super typhoon. This helped to mitigate downstream flooding, contributing to the protection of lives and property.
National Irrigation Administration head Eduardo Guillen also noted the Upper Wawa Dam’s role in reducing the impact of flooding in Metro Manila.
“That’s the beauty of what President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr. said regarding water management, it can mitigate floods if we can impound water,” he said.
“Like in the case of Metro Manila, there is the (Upper) Wawa Dam located at the higher level. The damage would have been greater if we did not have the (Upper) Wawa Dam because all that water would go down to Metro Manila,” Guillen added.
The Upper Wawa Dam will start to supply bulk water by the end of 2025.
WawaJVCo said it will continue collaborating closely with its host communities to help strengthen resilience against future weather-related challenges.
The Prime Infra-led company under businessman Enrique Razon Jr. remains steadfast in building better lives and resilient economies through critical infrastructure, ensuring that its projects are environmentally resilient and socially relevant.
