Wawa Dam (also known as Montalban Dam) is a gravity dam constructed over the

Marikina River The Marikina River ( tl, Ilog Marikina) is a river in eastern Metro Manila, Philippines. It is the largest tributary of the Pasig River, with headwaters located in the Sierra Madre Mountains in Rodriguez, Rizal province. The Marikina River u ...

in the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

of Rodriguez in Rizal

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. The slightly arched dam is situated in the high Montalban Gorge or Wawa Gorge, a

water gap A water gap is a gap that flowing water has carved through a mountain range or mountain ridge and that still carries water today. Such gaps that no longer carry water currents are called wind gaps. Water gaps and wind gaps often offer a prac ...

in the Sierra Madre Mountains, east of

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

. It was built in 1909 during the American colonial era to provide the water needs for

. It used to be the only source of water for Manila until

Angat Dam Angat Dam () is a concrete water reservoir embankment hydroelectric dam that supplies Metro Manila and nearby provinces with water. It was a part of the Angat- Ipo- La Mesa water system. The reservoir supplies about 90 percent of raw water requ ...

was built and Wawa was abandoned in 1968. Due to insufficiency of water supply for Metro Manila, there was a strong clamor to reuse the dam. The dam and surrounding area is currently protected as part of the Pamitinan Protected Landscape.

External links

Cooling off at Wawa Dam

Wawa Dam

Wawa Dam pushed as alternative water source

People flock to Wawa Dam to beat the summer heat

References

Dams in the Philippines Dams completed in 1909 Gravity dams Sierra Madre (Philippines) Buildings and structures in Rodriguez, Rizal Tourist attractions in Rizal {{Asia-dam-stub