Upper Wawa Dam mitigates Carina flooding

WawaJVCo Inc., a unit of Prime Infrastructure Capital Inc., reported that its P26-billion Upper Wawa Dam in Rizal helped mitigate flooding caused by Super Typhoon Carina and the Southwest Monsoon.

Rizal Governor Nina Ynares cited the dam's role in reducing widespread flooding, particularly in low-lying areas of Rizal and eastern Metro Manila, noting that without it, San Mateo, Montalban, Marikina, parts of Quezon City, and Pasig would have been severely affected.

During a situation briefing on July 26, Governor Ynares told President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that the dam's reservoir peaked at around 2,100 cubic meters per second (m³/s) during peak floodwater entry but managed to control the discharge downstream to about 200 m³/s.

The Upper Wawa Dam, designed as a water supply dam with a capacity of storing up to 120 million cubic meters of water and covering approximately 450 hectares, significantly reduced flooding impacts by managing the floodwater peak at around 90 million cubic meters during Super Typhoon Carina.

With construction starting in July 2023, the Upper Wawa Dam is expected to start supplying bulk water by late 2025 and will be the largest water supply dam built in over 50 years.