Nairobi — A Government engineer yesterday warned that the persistent drought may eventually affect water levels of River Tana, the country's main source of hydro-electric power.

And if this happens, the Central provincial water engineer Dishon Nyaga said, electric power generated from the river would go down.

He however said the situation was likely to get worse in the next three weeks if farmers in the region continued to use the river's water for irrigation.

Most of the electric power consumed in Kenya is generated from River Tana through the seven folks dam located in Eastern Province.

The river, which originates from Mt Kenya, drains its waters into the Indian Ocean, and is fed by many tributaries in Central Province.

Yesterday, Mr Nyaga said a proper method to control the use of river waters for irrigation has not been established, despite the enactment of Water Act of 2002.