MAJURO, Marshall Islands — About 6,000 people who live on the remote northern atolls of the Marshall Islands are facing an acute shortage of fresh water as a severe drought worsens.

The Pacific archipelago this week declared a state of disaster in its north. Australia announced it would provide 100,000 Australian dollars ($101,000) for the emergency supply of desalination units. The U.S. has also donated several reverse-osmosis machines, which covert salt water into fresh water.

There is no end in sight to the drought, with fine weather forecast for at least the next 10 days. The drought has also affected the food supply, withering crops such as breadfruit, bananas and taro.

Chief Secretary Casten Nemra, who chairs the national disaster committee, said many large families are surviving on as little as a gallon of water a day. …

Photo courtesy mrlins.

—Chad Blair