Situation expected to become disastrous in the near future (4,4)

I believe the answer is:

time bomb

(Other definitions for time bomb that I've seen before include "one could go off after a while" , "Thing set to explode" , "Preprogrammed explosive" , "Delayed explosive" , "It'll be a blast in due course" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.

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