In the past few decades, air pollution has become a major environmental problem consistently challenging ecosystems and human health. Air pollution is mostly caused by emission sources such as vehicles, industries, open burning, volcanic eruptions, and others. However, the drains that carry industrial and sewage wastewater in urban settlements are also sources of air pollutants. In the case of Delhi, India, the drains are lined (concreted), unlined, covered, and also open at various locations. In this study, we assessed the air pollution load caused by the drains. The study was conducted around the tributary drains of the Najafgarh-Palam drain in the southwest part of New Delhi. We compared the concentration of chemical air pollutants by monitoring during the morning, evening, and midnight hours from June 2020 to April 2021. We used the Modified Jacobs and Hochheiser method for sampling and analysis of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and the Indophenol method for ammonia (NH3). We sampled and analyzed sulphur dioxide (SO2) and ozone (O3) using the West & Geake method and the iodometric method, respectively. The results showed that there is a variation in the concentration of these pollutants in the areas with open and covered drains and at different times of the day in twentyfour hours due to differences in local environmental conditions, vehicular load, human settlement, and activities. This study revealed that leaving the drains open and planting trees on their embankments help to minimize the overall pollution load.