MONTALBAN, Rizal — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday called on the operators of the Upper Wawa Dam to continue collaborating with the government in prioritizing watershed protection and reforestation.
In his speech during the impounding process ceremony at the Upper Wawa Dam, the President also called on the stakeholders to pay attention to the biodiversity preservation of the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape.
“Without a doubt, the progress that we have made here at the Upper Wawa Dam is a significant stride towards our goal of social and economic transformation,” Marcos said.
Upper Wawa Dam
“I now ask the Prime Infra, and its joint venture WawaJVCo to continue collaborating with the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources). Prioritize watershed protection in the Upper Wawa Dam as well as the reforestation and biodiversity preservation in the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape,” he added.
The President said the Upper Wawa Dam will be the biggest water source to be built in the country in over 50 years, next to the Angat Dam.
He said that the water supply from the Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project will increase from 80 million to 438 million liters per day once Phase 2 of the Project or the Upper Wawa Dam starts its operations at the end of 2025, which could increase to 710 million liters per day in the following years.
These 438 to 710 million liters per day translate to supporting the water supply needs of about 2.2 to 3.5 million Filipinos in the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System service area, Marcos said.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. leads the impounding process ceremony of the Upper Wawa Dam in Barangay San Rafael, Rodriguez , Rizal on July 10, 2024. With him were (from left) Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo Jr., Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, Prime Infra CEO and President Guillaume Lucci, and MWSS Administrator Leonor Cleofas. The Upper Wawa Dam, an 85-meter roller-compacted concrete structure, can store 120 million cubic meters of raw water. It is crucial for starting commercial operations by the end of 2025 and supports the larger Wawa Pumped Storage Power Project, which aims to provide a reliable alternative water source that would benefit over 700,000 households or about 3.5 million Filipinos, ensure sustainable supply, and enhance long-term security in the MWSS service area.
PPA POOL / MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. leads the impounding process ceremony of the Upper Wawa Dam in Barangay San Rafael, Rodriguez , Rizal on July 10, 2024. With him were (from left) Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo Jr., Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, Prime Infra CEO and President Guillaume Lucci, and MWSS Administrator Leonor Cleofas. The Upper Wawa Dam, an 85-meter roller-compacted concrete structure, can store 120 million cubic meters of raw water. It is crucial for starting commercial operations by the end of 2025 and supports the larger Wawa Pumped Storage Power Project, which aims to provide a reliable alternative water source that would benefit over 700,000 households or about 3.5 million Filipinos, ensure sustainable supply, and enhance long-term security in the MWSS service area.
PPA POOL / MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. leads the impounding process ceremony of the Upper Wawa Dam in Barangay San Rafael, Rodriguez , Rizal on July 10, 2024. With him were (from left) Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo Jr., Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, Prime Infra CEO and President Guillaume Lucci, and MWSS Administrator Leonor Cleofas. The Upper Wawa Dam, an 85-meter roller-compacted concrete structure, can store 120 million cubic meters of raw water. It is crucial for starting commercial operations by the end of 2025 and supports the larger Wawa Pumped Storage Power Project, which aims to provide a reliable alternative water source that would benefit over 700,000 households or about 3.5 million Filipinos, ensure sustainable supply, and enhance long-term security in the MWSS service area.
PPA POOL / MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. leads the impounding process ceremony of the Upper Wawa Dam in Barangay San Rafael, Rodriguez , Rizal on July 10, 2024. With him were (from left) Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo Jr., Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, Prime Infra CEO and President Guillaume Lucci, and MWSS Administrator Leonor Cleofas. The Upper Wawa Dam, an 85-meter roller-compacted concrete structure, can store 120 million cubic meters of raw water. It is crucial for starting commercial operations by the end of 2025 and supports the larger Wawa Pumped Storage Power Project, which aims to provide a reliable alternative water source that would benefit over 700,000 households or about 3.5 million Filipinos, ensure sustainable supply, and enhance long-term security in the MWSS service area.
PPA POOL / MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. leads the impounding process ceremony of the Upper Wawa Dam in Barangay San Rafael, Rodriguez , Rizal on July 10, 2024. With him were (from left) Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo Jr., Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, Prime Infra CEO and President Guillaume Lucci, and MWSS Administrator Leonor Cleofas. The Upper Wawa Dam, an 85-meter roller-compacted concrete structure, can store 120 million cubic meters of raw water. It is crucial for starting commercial operations by the end of 2025 and supports the larger Wawa Pumped Storage Power Project, which aims to provide a reliable alternative water source that would benefit over 700,000 households or about 3.5 million Filipinos, ensure sustainable supply, and enhance long-term security in the MWSS service area.
PPA POOL / MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. leads the impounding process ceremony of the Upper Wawa Dam in Barangay San Rafael, Rodriguez , Rizal on July 10, 2024. With him were (from left) Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo Jr., Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, Prime Infra CEO and President Guillaume Lucci, and MWSS Administrator Leonor Cleofas. The Upper Wawa Dam, an 85-meter roller-compacted concrete structure, can store 120 million cubic meters of raw water. It is crucial for starting commercial operations by the end of 2025 and supports the larger Wawa Pumped Storage Power Project, which aims to provide a reliable alternative water source that would benefit over 700,000 households or about 3.5 million Filipinos, ensure sustainable supply, and enhance long-term security in the MWSS service area.
PPA POOL / MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. leads the impounding process ceremony of the Upper Wawa Dam in Barangay San Rafael, Rodriguez , Rizal on July 10, 2024. With him were (from left) Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo Jr., Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, Prime Infra CEO and President Guillaume Lucci, and MWSS Administrator Leonor Cleofas. The Upper Wawa Dam, an 85-meter roller-compacted concrete structure, can store 120 million cubic meters of raw water. It is crucial for starting commercial operations by the end of 2025 and supports the larger Wawa Pumped Storage Power Project, which aims to provide a reliable alternative water source that would benefit over 700,000 households or about 3.5 million Filipinos, ensure sustainable supply, and enhance long-term security in the MWSS service area.
PPA POOL / MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. leads the impounding process ceremony of the Upper Wawa Dam in Barangay San Rafael, Rodriguez , Rizal on July 10, 2024. With him were (from left) Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo Jr., Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, Prime Infra CEO and President Guillaume Lucci, and MWSS Administrator Leonor Cleofas. The Upper Wawa Dam, an 85-meter roller-compacted concrete structure, can store 120 million cubic meters of raw water. It is crucial for starting commercial operations by the end of 2025 and supports the larger Wawa Pumped Storage Power Project, which aims to provide a reliable alternative water source that would benefit over 700,000 households or about 3.5 million Filipinos, ensure sustainable supply, and enhance long-term security in the MWSS service area.
PPA POOL / MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
The project will also help mitigate the perennial flooding problem in downstream areas and localities of the Marikina River.
The construction of the 85-meter-high and 438.5-meter-long roller-compacted concrete Upper Wawa Dam is a major component of the Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project Phase 2.
Marcos said the Upper Wawa Dam will foster climate resilience among Filipinos by protecting communities downstream from flooding and by mitigating the detrimental effects of drought.
“Having been accomplished a year ahead of schedule, this monumental development has set a new standard for infrastructure projects of similar magnitude in terms of scale and impact,” he said.
The President stressed the need for more dams to address the increasing water demand.
“We need to build more multi-purpose dams to ensure water supply not only for drinking but also for irrigation, power generation, flood control, aquaculture, and hopefully other technologies that we may engage in the future,” he said.
He called on Filipinos to conserve water resources, as he vowed that the administration will continue to address water security challenges to ensure access to sufficient and clean water.
“At the end of the day, water remains at the core, not only for human survival but also for national development. Water is life for human beings. Water is life for our economy. Water is life,” he added.
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