The map is not "being made worse." It's not "turning into OHM" either. If "having no data is much better," why are life cycle prefixes in widespread use? The goal should not be to return the state of OSM back to 2006. Instead add a fixme tag, add a note, make a post. Deleting way history does not improve the map or help your fellow editors. Constantly checking for deletions in your local area is not something most editors want to devote an extensive amount of time to.