Abstract
In the area north of Lake Kivu, in the western part of the African Rift, deep fractures allow the uptake of gas, especially carbon dioxide. The Nyiragongo territory is located in the western part of the African Rift Valley. The deep fractures allow gases, especially carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>), to rise. CO<sub>2</sub> is a heavier-than-air gas, asphyxiating, irritating to the eyes, nose and throat, and deadly at concentrations above 15%. The variation of CO<sub>2</sub> in the different stations allows us to study the behaviour of the Nyiragongo volcano although in our stations we have not reached the lethal concentration of CO<sub>2</sub>. The volcanic activity of Nyiragongo is therefore closely monitored by the inhabitants, and any news of increased activity agitates the inhabitants of the region, especially those living in the Nyiragongo territory. Here we report a short carbon dioxide monitoring time series for five stations (BUGARURA I, II, III, IV and MUNIGI stations). The various variations in CO<sub>2</sub> give us information about the activity of the Nyiragongo Volcano in the crater. The active volcanoes of the Virunga chain expose the Nyiragongo region to numerous natural hazards such as lava flows, gas plumes, dissolved gases in Lake Kivu and risks related to epidemiological diseases and armed conflicts.
Highlights
The Nyiragongo volcano is threatening the inhabitants of Nyiragongo territory and ∼ 1.5 million people in the cities of Goma (DR Congo) and Gisenyi (Rwanda)
We note that during the entire monitoring period from January 2019 to January 2020 the carbon dioxide concentration is high in the Bugarura IV site compared to the other four sites (Bugarura I, II, III and Munigi)
CO2 concentration is still present in Nyiragongo territory, mainly in the chiefdom of Bukumu
Summary
The Nyiragongo volcano is threatening the inhabitants of Nyiragongo territory and ∼ 1.5 million people in the cities of Goma (DR Congo) and Gisenyi (Rwanda). In 2002, the volcano produced lava flows that invaded almost the entire territory of Nyiragongo, the city of Goma, destroying the city's economic district, forcing a massive exodus of the population and causing the loss of several lives. The Nyiragongo Volcano is a beautiful and active volcano, a large stratovolcano near Lake Kivu on the eastern border of DR Congo with Rwanda in the Virunga National Park. On 17 January 2002, the city centre of Goma, the capital of the eastern Virunga province, was destroyed by voluminous lava flows [3, 4]
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