Mumbai, Aug. 21 -- Concerned about the impact of the proposed desalination plant at Manori on the livelihoods of fisher communities, around 1,500 fishermen from Madh, Manori, Uttan and other villages along the city's western coastline are likely to participate in a rally today (on Friday) to oppose the project. The rally, organised by the Gorai Machimar Sahakari Sanstha along with the National Fishworkers' Forum and the Maharashtra Macchimar Kruti Samiti, will commence at 9am from the Madh coastline and culminate at Uttan chowk. It will highlight the concerns of fisher communities regarding marine ecology, fish breeding and brine discharge from the proposed plant, said Oldin Vasaikar, chairman, Gorai Machimar Sahakari Sanstha. "The desalination plant will discharge brine into the sea, which will affect fish breeding and plankton growth. The marine food chain will be impacted and availability of fresh catch will reduce drastically, impacting the livelihoods of thousands of fisherfolk," Vasaikar told Hindustan Times. The desalination plant would also threaten small fish, which are likely to be pulled in when it draws sea water for desalination, Vasaikar said, citing the experiences of fisher communities in Chennai. "Since a desalination plant has been operational in Chennai for several years, we spoke to fishermen there and learnt that livelihoods of people in six villages have been affected," he said. The proposed project comprises a 400 million litres per day (MLD) seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant. The plant will be developed in two phases of 200 MLD each, at a cost of Rs.2,066 crore for the first phase and Rs.1,371 crore for the second phase. Once operational, it will greatly augment Mumbai's water supply, and help combat shortage, especially when the monsoon is lean. The proposed project area includes four fishing villages - Manori, Gorai, Uttan and Madh - with a combined population of 15,362, according to the 2010 state marine fisheries census. The census recorded 3,779 people engaged in fishing and allied activities in Uttan and 1,688 in Manori. The Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report for the project, a copy of which is with HT, conceded that nearly 70% of the population in the project area was directly or indirectly dependent on fishing and allied activities such as boat and catamaran repairs, net weaving and fish trading. Mussel collection, lobster fishing, shore-seine fishing, deep-sea fishing and other fishing-related activities were also major occupations, the report said. According to the EIA report, the volume of brine reject discharged from the plant into the sea would be 300 MLD during phase I and 600 MLD during phase II....