Recent theoretical developments on the irregularities in the equatorial electrojet (EEJ) brought out the effect of small-scale turbulence on the large-scale dynamics of the EEJ. We have studied this aspect experimentally using VHF backscatter radar observations. It is found that the effect of turbulence is to shift the altitude of maximum of the electron drift velocity upward. The ratio of anomalous (manifestation of turbulence) to normal collision frequency of electrons has been derived from the observations. The experimental findings on the effect of turbulence on EEJ structure are, in general, in accordance with theoretical results. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1994