Standing on the serrated edge of Mount Nyiragongo’s crater in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, volcanologist Honore Ciraba peered into the lens of a device measuring changes in the size of the volcano’s rim, writes Reuters.

The readings, along with earthquake, temperature and gas data, are crucial to the region’s early warning system for the nearby city of Goma, to avoid a repeat of the 2002 eruption when 250 people died and 120,000 were made homeless.

Increased volcanic activity and other indicators have experts fretting that another eruption could be on the way.

But after the World Bank cut funding amid embezzlement allegations, Ciraba and colleagues at the Goma Volcano Observatory are struggling to make even basic checks.