SpicyTricks

Authorities say a food shortage in the atoll islands of Papua New Guinea's autonomous region of Bougainville is getting worse.

The Regional Disaster Coordinator in Bougainville has confirmed severe shortages, reportedly caused by rising sea levels and heavy rain.

Bianca Kawin, from Leitana Nehan Women's Development Agency in Buka, has just been to the atolls and says communities have been promised supplies that have not yet arrived.

She has told Pacific Beat the situation has become desperate on some of the islands.

"When we arrived on the islands people started asking about the food that we were supposed to bring with us and the services to them .. but then we told them we didn't bring anything... and they had to wait for a ship to go to the atolls," she said.