4.1 Urban Economy and Role of the Town

The town serves as woreda administration and tourism center. There are 74 manufacturing industries, 79

wholesale trades, 501 retail trades, 365 service trades and four fuel stations and three garages. There are

four different financial institutions. 

The average annual revenue of the municipality was 6,287,290.97 Birr. The major sources of revenue

were from land tax and rents. The per capita revenue within the same period was 132.64Birr. The major

investment potentials opportunities in the town are: agro-industry, hotel, fishing and lodge. 

Batu town has economic linkages with the surrounding areas, Adama, Awassa , Shashemene and Addis

Ababa. The town gets grain products, livestock supply, natural resources (fuel wood, and charcoal) and

labor from surrounding areas and manufacturing and commercial products from Addis Ababa, Hawassa

and Shashamene.

4.2 Social Characteristics

Social services

Education

There are 13 privately owned kindergartens; four government and nine private primary schools; one

government and three private senior secondary (9-10 grade) schools, one government and one private

preparatory school; one TVET; two government and two private colleges in Batu town.

Health

Regarding health services in the town there are one government and one private hospital, two

government health centers and ten private clinics. The town has ambulance that gives service for

emergency cases.                  

Municipal services

Batu town has one public meeting hall, abattoir giving slaughtering service for Christians and Muslims; general and cattle markets meeting twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays and one daily markets. Solid waste is collected by 40 horse drown carts and disposed in authorized open dump site. One association organized in Micro and Small-scale Enterprise is engaged in collection and disposal of solid waste. There are four public toilets in the town, and liquid waste is collected by vacuum trucks rented from other towns.

There is a green recreation area covering 37 ha, forest area covering 464ha and street trees are also planted along 6Km of streets in the town. There are two parks, one public library and town hall, a stadium and one playground, ten standard hotels in the town and Danbai (Ziwai) lake which covers 464 ha including forest area. Regarding religious services in the town there are four churches for Orthodox Christians, one church for Catholic, 12 churches for Protestants and one mosque.