OPERATIONAL AND INSTITUTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AT THE WUPA SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT ABUJA, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study assessed wastewater management practices at the Wupa Sewage Treatment Plant, Abuja, using a descriptive, facility-based survey design complemented by direct field observation. Primary data were obtained through structured questionnaires administered to all relevant technical and management staff of the Wupa Sewage Treatment Plant and officials of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), yielding a total of 173 respondents (89 Wupa staff and 84 AEPB staff), while secondary data were sourced from plant records, design documents, and official reports. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and supported with photographic evidence of treatment infrastructure. Findings revealed unanimous agreement (100%) among respondents that wastewater treated at the plant originates mainly from domestic, institutional, and small-scale industrial sources within phases one, two, and parts of phase three of Abuja, and is conveyed to the facility through a gravity-based sewer network. The treatment process effectively incorporates preliminary (screening and grit removal), primary (sedimentation), secondary (activated sludge biological treatment), tertiary (filtration and disinfection), and sludge management stages, indicating adherence to standard wastewater treatment protocols. However, despite the plant being designed to serve a population of about 700,000 with expansion capacity to one million, a significant proportion of Abuja’s population remains unconnected to the central sewer system, relying instead on septic tanks. The study further established that the facility is maintained by AEPB with a regular maintenance budget of approximately ₦500 million per quarter in 2023, and operates continuously. Overall, the findings suggest that while wastewater management practices at the Wupa Sewage Treatment Plant are technically comprehensive and adequately maintained, broader sewer network coverage remains a critical challenge to maximizing the plant’s effectiveness.