The Cobra Effect: Unintended Consequences of Problem-Solving in India

Many years ago, I heard of a phenomenon called the Cobra Effect. It refers to situations where an attempt to solve a problem actually worsens it. This effect got its name from an actual incident that occurred in India during British rule. The story goes that when the British were establishing the new capital of India in New Delhi, they discovered the area was infested with venomous snakes, the most common being cobras.

To address the issue, the British came up with a plan: anyone who brought the tail of a dead cobra would be rewarded. They believed that if people killed the cobras, the problem would be solved. However, the actual outcome was quite the opposite. People started cutting off the tails and releasing the cobras back into the wild. Some even began breeding cobras to claim the rewards. When the British realized what was happening, they canceled the scheme. Since the cobras were now worthless, people released them back into the wild, worsening the problem.

I used to laugh at the British for their foolishness in this plan, but little did I know that in India, it's impossible to predict how people will behave or react to such initiatives.

I witnessed a modern-day Cobra Effect in my own locality after an incident of a dog bite. Typically, the solution in such cases would be effective control of the stray dog population. However, our Commanding Officer had a "unique idea." He issued an order stating that the elderly must carry a stick whenever they went outside, and children must always be accompanied by adults. Strangely, the order made no mention of adults, as the officer seemingly assumed they were immune to dog bites.

So, what was the outcome of this? The elderly, who already used sticks due to old age, continued to do so, but if a dog were to attack, they would still be defenseless. Parents, in turn, restricted their children from playing outside. Meanwhile, adults went about their daily routines as usual, and dog bites continued to occur.

Dog bites are extremely common in India, and civic authorities do very little to address the issue. If you are bitten, you are often blamed. India has the highest number of rabies deaths in the world, and yet, no significant action has been taken.

The above report shoes the situation in an Air Force Campus, supposedly one of the elite areas in the city. Imagine the chaos outside.