India, May 28 -- Residents, environmental activists and civic representative have demanded the immediate restoration of the long-neglected and dried-up Wadachiwadi lake in south Pune before irreversible ecological damage occurs.

Years of unchecked silt accumulation, encroachments, poor maintenance and the absence of a scientific revival plan have reduced the once-thriving historic lake to a barren stretch of cracked earth, residents said. The deteriorating condition of the water body has also sparked concerns over declining groundwater levels, loss of biodiversity and worsening environmental conditions in the rapidly urbanising Mohammadwadi-Undri belt.

Corporator Nivrutti Anna Bandal has written to Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) commi...