Upper Wawa Dam on track to supply water

MANILA, Philippines — WawaJVCo Inc., a unit of Razon-led Prime Infrastructure Capital Inc., said the Upper Wawa Dam is on track to start providing water supply by end-2025.

This is the largest privately-led water supply infrastructure project in the country’s history, the firm said.

“The exceptional construction pace at Upper Wawa Dam showcases Prime Infra’s commitment to delivering on our commitments in developing water supply infrastructure at this scale. We are pleased that the project continues to be materially ahead of schedule. We take great pride in ensuring that we sustain this pace and do so safely by 2025,” Prime Infra president and CEO Guillaume Lucci said.

The Upper Wawa Dam, which is the second phase of the Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project, is 70 percent complete as of this month.

The project’s 85-meter roller-compacted concrete dam will be finished in a few months, followed by the completion of the rest of the plant.

Once it starts operating, it will provide a yearlong water supply capacity of over 700 million liters per day (MLD), benefiting the residents of the greater Metro Manila area, including the province of Rizal.

Apart from providing a reliable water supply source, WawaJVCo said the Upper Wawa Dam will also help mitigate the perennial problem of flooding in the downstream areas and localities of the Marikina River.

“The Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project aims to secure sufficient capacity to meet the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) and its concessionaires’ water needs. Phase 1 became operational in record time since October 2022,” Lucci said.

The project’s first phase, or the Tayabasan Weir, has been delivering an initial 80 MLD since it began operations.

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.

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

It will increase Manila Water Company’s (MWC) capacity by over 30 percent of its current water supply allocation from the Angat Dam of approximately 1,600 MLD.

Together with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), WawaJVCo is also implementing a watershed management plan that includes reforestation activities around the site of the Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project covering 1,800 hectares.

“In developing this project, we aim to build a legacy by prioritizing environmental sustainability and fostering long-term partnerships with our host communities,” Prime Infra market sector lead for water and WawaJVCo president Melvin John Tan said.

The Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project is being developed by WawaJVCo, a joint venture of Prime Infra and San Lorenzo Ruiz Builders and Developers Group Inc.