Dar es Salaam, Mar 13 (IANS): Tanzanian authorities said they have formed a team of experts to investigate causes that have led to contamination of water in the Mara River.

Selemani Jaffo, the Minister of State in the Vice-President's Office responsible for Environment, said the contaminated water in the river was releasing bad smell, reports Xinhua news agency.

"This alarming situation calls for urgent action by the government in order to know what caused the pollution of the water," Jaffo said when he inspected the river.

He said the investigative team is comprised of experts from various fields, including rock and chemical experts.

Redempta Samuel, a senior official from the National Environment Management Council (NEMC), said experts have already collected 32 water samples from the river and Lake Victoria where the river drains its water.

The Mara River basin covers a surface of 13,504 square kilometres in which about 65 per cent is located in Kenya and 35 per cent in Tanzania.

From its sources in the Kenyan highlands, the river flows for about 395 kilometres draining into Lake Victoria in Tanzania's Mara region.