World is running out of water: no drinkable water in Tokelau

Two idyllic South Pacific islands are facing a water crisis; they're running out of it, and fast.

The island nations Tuvalu and Tokelau have declared states of emergency after six months of little or no rainfall, the CNN reports.

It's estimated that at the current rate of consumption the Tuvaluan atoll of Funafuti, home to 5,000 people, will run out of drinking water in two weeks. Tokelau, a territory of New Zealand with a population of 1,500, could run dry in just one.

A New Zealand-administered territory of three islands, Tokelau's 1,400 people have less than a week's drinking water left.

The lack of rainfall is blamed on the La Nina weather pattern.

Officials said Tokelau had run out of natural fresh water and was relying solely on bottled water.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully said other islands in the South Pacific were also reporting water shortages, the BBC reports.

Parts of Samoa have begun rationing water.

He said New Zealand was rushing to assess the situation throughout the region, amid fears the crisis could escalate.

New Zealand was "making sure we deal with the drinking water issue most urgently", he said.

A New Zealand Air Force plane landed in Tuvalu on Monday carrying containers of water and desalination units, the source reports.