Australia, New Zealand deliver water aid to Tuvalu

Australia and New Zealand jointly delievered 450,000 litres of drinkable water to the drought-stricken Pacific island of Tuvalu, Australia's Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs, Richard Marles, announced on Monday. Marles said the shipment to Tuvalu's main island of Funafuti will be delivered on Tuesday, and Australia also has provided two delivery trucks to help distribute water to communities. "This much-needed water will fill (Tuvalu's) government storage facilities and enable households to access more water in Tuvalu," Marles said in a statement released on Monday. Marles added that Australia and New Zealand would provide a second shipment of 600,000 litres of water if the drought worsens. Meanwhile, Australia is also teaming up with the United States and the Untied Kingdom to build 40,000-litre-a-day desalination plants, which is expected to be running in December. Earlier in September, Tuvalu declared a state of emergency after months without rainfall forced its government to start rationing the water supply.