It is being blamed on drought, caused by bizarre El Nino and La Nina patterns.  These same forces have also been blamed for the severe drought Australia has suffered in the last few years (although I believe it may be better now).

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/australia-newzealand/article318...

A community living on a tiny atoll in the South Pacific completely ran out of fresh water yesterday, while villagers on a neighbouring island are rationing food, bathing in a lagoon and refraining from flushing the toilet after low rainfall in recent months has caused severe water shortages in the region.

The island nations of Tuvalu and Tokelau have each declared a state of emergency after a long drought blamed on the La Niña weather pattern has left locals with critically low fresh water supplies and also affected crops, leading to fears of food shortages.

Parts of Samoa are also understood to have begun rationing water and there are concerns the crisis could spread to other small island nations dotted throughout Polynesia.

Tokelau, a New Zealand-administered territory of about 1,400 people living on three islands, has less than a week’s drinking water left and joined the emergency call of Tuvalu, which has declared a state of emergency over its water shortage.

Tuvalu is a former British colony and one of the world’s smallest independent nations with a population of 11,000 people spread across nine islands and atolls. It lies about halfway between Australia and Hawaii, while Tokelau is about 310 miles (500km) to the east.

A New Zealand Air Force plane landed in Tuvalu yesterday carrying containers of water and desalination units, and a team from the New Zealand Red Cross to deliver aid and supplies.

On the island of Funafuti, a narrow coral atoll which is the capital of Tuvalu, the situation was “critical” with the island’s villagers stocking up on bottled water and eating canned ham and noodles instead of fresh produce.

The are also concerns that the water shortages may lead to sanitation issues and consequent health problems on the islands. On Tuvalu there was a recent increase in cases of diarrhoea among people being admitted to the hospital. However, that is reportedly now under control after community leaders warned locals about the safety of drinking water that was not fresh.

Dean Manderson, a Red Cross New Zealand relief worker, said the Tuvalu islanders were holding up remarkably well and supporting each other through the desperate situation, which has been exacerbated by the immense tropical heat and temperatures of more than 30C (86F).

“They’re pretty stoic people,” Mr Manderson told The Times while distributing water bottles on Funafuti earlier today.

“They are a bit stressed out about it, but they are tough people and are joining together in the community spirit and helping each other out, sharing their water bottles with each other’s families.”

Murray McCully, New Zealand’s Foreign Minister, said other islands in the South Pacific were also reporting water shortages and New Zealand was rushing to assess the situation throughout the region amid fears the crisis could escalate.

He warned there would be food shortages if the situation was not resolved soon and New Zealand was “making sure we deal with the drinking water issue most urgently”.

“There’s less than a week’s supply of drinking water on Funafuti, that’s the main island in Tuvalu,” Mr McCully said.

“I understand one of the other outlying islands, Nukulaelae, has a more urgent shortage and there is a desalination plant on the way there. There are going to be some flow-on effects here, clearly this is having a severe impact on crops, so there’s likely to be a food shortage as well.”

A Red Cross report on Tuvalu, released last week, said the island nation relied mostly on rainwater, which has been scarce this year because of the La Niña weather pattern.

General Tataua Pefe, Tuvalu Red Cross Secretary, said it had not rained properly in Tuvalu for more than six months and meteorologists were forecasting the lack of rain would continue until December, despite the wet season scheduled to begin next month. Tuvalu normally expects to receive 8in to 16in (200mm to 400mm) of rainfall per month.

Tuvalu is one of the world’s most low-lying countries, with its highest point just 16ft (5m) above sea level. It has been predicted that Tuvalu will be completely submerged by rising sea levels within 50 years.