Pakistan, Aug. 24 -- On a hot summer afternoon in Chah Inaamwala, a small village near Multan, 68-year-old Baba Shafi drags his woven charpai under the shade of a large mango tree outside his home. With summer temperatures soaring across South Punjab, the shade under the tree offers him the only relief from the intense heat.

Baba Shafi cannot afford to buy or run an air conditioner due to high electricity bills and low income. Moving his cot to follow the shade of the tree where the wind blows freely has been his daily routine for decades.

Soon after, his wife and two young grandsons bring out another charpai to sit alongside him, spending the hottest hours of the day outdoors in the shade.

For generations, rural families across South ...