Power of Instagram used to wage war on Hong Kong's dripping air cons
Campaigners hope to shame officials into action by using app to post photos of dripping water
Hong Kong's dripping air conditioners are the target of a community-led initiative that will harness social media to report leaks to the government.
Earlier this month the Post revealed how thousands of dripping air conditioners were going largely unchecked. Complaints about dripping air conditioners pour into the Food and Environmental Health Department each year, but only a fraction are followed up, the report revealed.
The number of complaints has soared to 170,407 in the past 10 years, though environmental groups estimate the number of faulty units is likely to be far higher because reporting them is an arduous, often thankless task.
Drop the Drip, which launched this week, asks users of Instagram, the phone photography app used by one and a half million people in Hong Kong, to post photos of offending devices when they come across them.
By snapping the leaking machines and using the hashtag #dropthedrip, the offending spot will automatically be uploaded to a map and database.
The database will trigger an automatic daily email to the department detailing all air conditioners reported that day.