Upper Wawa Dam helped mitigate flooding —Prime Infra

Prime Infra-led WawaJVCO Inc.’s Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project, or Upper Wawa Dam, has helped mitigate the impact of flooding due to Super Typhoon Carina and Southwest Monsoon.

In a news release, tycoon Enrique Razon Jr.’s Prime Infra said the Upper Wawa Dam, “while designed as a water supply dam, the project can also help mitigate flooding in downstream communities, particularly low-lying areas in Rizal province and the eastern district of Metro Manila.”

Prime Infra said that based on measurements conducted throughout July 24, the floodwater entering the dam’s reservoir peaked at approximately 2,100 cubic meters per second (m3/s). 

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 company said.

It added that 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,” Prime Infra said.

WawaJVCo earlier said the Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project in Rizal is one of the national government's infrastructure flagship projects that will address water security, specifically in the MWSS service area.

It said the entire project is the largest water supply dam to be constructed in over 50 years when Angat Dam was built.

Citing a situation briefing on July 26, Prime Infra said Rizal Governor Nina Ynares told President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that without the Upper Wawa Dam, flooding in certain areas of the province could have been significantly worse.

The Razon-led firm said Ynares has noted that the Upper Wawa Dam’s reservoir needed six months to fully impound water. 

However, due to the heavy rainfall from Super Typhoon Carina, 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,” Ynares was quoted as saying.

The provincial government, meanwhile, said that “the Upper Wawa Dam project by WawaJVCo has significantly reduced the effects of flooding in comparison to previous occurrences.”

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. 

The Upper Wawa Dam will start to supply bulk water by the end of 2025.—Ted Cordero/AOL, GMA Integrated News