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Lokachi Territorial Community
Volyn`
Population:
The Lokachi Settlement Territorial Community is situated in the territory of the Volodymyr District in the Volyn Region. The Community includes twenty-eight localities with the settlement of Lokachi being its administrative centre.
The total area of the Community amounts to 352.44 km2.
Population: 13,231 residents
Men: 6,438 residents
Women: 6,793 residents
Internally displaced persons: 47 people
History
The administrative centre of the Community is the village of Lokachi, the first written mention of which dates back to 1508. However, the name of the locality named Lukachi is found in historical documents. This name is connected with the popularity of weapons made by local craftsmen – bows. In other historical documents, it is said that Lukachi got its name because of the swampy area (meadows) on which it is located.
The first historical owners of Lokachi were the Hlynski princes. In 1542, Lokachi became the property of the Sanhushko princes. In 1611, the town was granted the Magdeburg rights.
In 1939, Lokachi became the district centre. And the continuation of the historical and economic ties between the localities of the region was the formation of the Lokachi Settlement Territorial Community in 2020, which includes 28 localities of the former Lokachi District, which was liquidated in 2020 as part of the administrative and territorial reform in Ukraine.
The Lokachi Settlement Territorial Community is rich in historical sites. In total, there are 20 of them there, and all of them are under state protection. In this way Horodyshche, an archaeological site of the 9th – 13th centuries, has been preserved in the territory of the Community to this day; it is included in the List of National Cultural Heritage as well as the State Register of Historical Sites of Ukraine.
In addition, the Zahoriv Monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin in the village of Novyi Zahoriv is included in the List of Cultural Heritage Sites. The monastery was built in the 16th century.
Economy and Welfare
The Lokachi Community has a well-developed agricultural sector with sufficient potential for revitalizing the agro-processing industry.
The Lokachynske gas deposit is being developed in the territory of the Community. It is located four kilometres away from Lokachi and belongs to the Volyn-Podillia oil and gas region of the Western oil and gas region of Ukraine. The balance reserves of the Lokachynske deposit amount to 7.8 billion cubic meters. The Lokachynske gas deposit is characterized by a high content of hydrogen sulphide, which is why it needs additional purification.
The Lokachynske gas deposit became the first in Ukraine where a purification system based on solid sorbents was built. The deposit includes twenty-four wells, of which fifteen are operational. There are three oil and gas wells in the territory of the Lokachi Community.
More than 270 different enterprises and more than 160 legal entities operate in the territory of the Community.
The agro-industrial sector of the Community is mainly focused on the cultivation of grain crops and berry growing.
There are also two modern powerful elevators with state-of-the-art laboratories, grain cleaning and weighing equipment.
ABM-Trade Company facilities are located in the territory of the Community – a factory of fodder additives, disinfectants, special products for farm animals.
The main task of the company, which was founded in 2006, is to care for the health of animals. ABM-Trade develops a new concept of a feed and veterinary company, uses the achievements of scientists and the experience of successful practitioners in the development of innovative solutions, creates effective, fast-acting and easy-to-use preparations.
The Community has a good geographical location from the point of view of automobile logistics.
The nature reserves of the Lokachi Territorial Community are represented by three local hydrological reserves: Luha-Svynoreika, Luchny and Chornohuzivsky.
Education is actively developed in the Community, which runs 13 secondary schools, 17 preschool institutions, and one vocational and technical education institution.
Out-of-school education is represented by an institution of children’s and youth creativity, a children’s and youth sports school.
The Community runs seven club institutions, the communal institution “Public Library” of the Lokachi Settlement Council, six branch libraries, and a music school. There are also nine amateur teams with the honorary title of folk teams. A regional festival of rebel and rifle songs takes place every year in the village of Novy Zahoriv.
The health care sector in the territory of the Lokachi Community is represented by two non-commercial communal institutions: the Lokachi Hospital and the Lokachi Primary Health Care Centre, which includes two general practice family medicine clinics and fifteen temporary medical centres.
The Lokachi Settlement Council provides significant support to health care institutions.
Community and War
The Lokachi Territorial Community is located 47 kilometres away from the nearest international checkpoint “Ustyluh – Zosin” on the Ukrainian-Polish border, so many internally displaced persons moved to the Community as one of the safest territories of Ukraine.
The Community clearly and harmoniously responded to the new challenge: the Executive Committee of the Settlement Council, employees of communal institutions and enterprises, residents of the Community united for a common goal helping internally displaced persons. As of May 2024, fifty internally displaced people were staying in the Community.
The residents of the Community regularly raise funds for the purchase of motor vehicles and necessary ammunition for servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion by the russian federation into Ukraine, the Community sent four school buses to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Charitable events and fairs have become permanent volunteer initiatives.
People of the Community
Bohdan Ius is the Lokachi Settlement Council Head. Since 2006, he has been working as the head of the Lokachi Settlement Council.
During the tenure of Bohdan Ius, on his initiative, a lot was done for the well-being of the Community.
The Lokachi Territorial Community concluded a partnership agreement with the USAID HOVERLA Project. The Community also cooperates with other organizations: UNICEF, U-LEAD with Europe, Ukrainian charitable and nongovernmental organizations.
Active and dedicated residents also live in the Community.
Mykola Poliakov is a potter, the leader of the groups of the Institution of Children’s and Youth Creativity of the Lokachi Settlement Council, the People’s Master of Ukraine, a military serviceman who has been defending Ukraine since the first days of the war.
Victor Nykytiuk is a deputy director for educational work, a physics teacher at the Lokachi Lyceum of the Lokachi Settlement Council, an Honoured Teacher of Ukraine. He has joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as well.
Development Strategy
The Community has approved the Development Strategy of the Lokachi Territorial Community until 2027 and the Action Plan for its implementation in 2024-2027.
The strategic vision of the development of the Lokachi Settlement Territorial Community will be achieved through the implementation of three strategic goals:
- Competitive economy of the community.
- Development of human capital and improvement of the quality of life of the Community residents.
- Sustainable development of the Community.
The need to set such goals is due to the presence of significant agricultural potential and agro-processing potential in the Community, which, stepped-up with innovative solutions, investment attraction, sustainable development of the area, can increase the level of competitiveness of the local economy.
Sources
- Official website of the Lokachi Settlement Council: lokachynska-gromada.gov.ua
- Official Facebook page of the Lokachi Settlement Council: facebook.com
- A collection of photos taken by the Community residents