Journalists sometimes describe unsexy subjects as MEGO: My Eyes Glaze Over. Alas, water quality is the essence of MEGO. Nonetheless, the stakes—human and environmental—are high. Today, according to the International Water Management Institute, a Sri Lanka–based cousin to IRRI and CIMMYT, one person out of every three on the planet lacks reliable access to freshwater, whether because the water is unsafe, unaffordable, or unavailable.
