Abstract: Levee is an important part of flood-control engineering system in China, and is the barrier to protect people’s life and property from flood disasters, playing a significant role in flood control practices. The current situations of levee’s risk management in various countries including the Netherlands, UK, France, Belgium, USA, Japan and China are introduced. Comparative study shows that risk management mode abroad is co-governance by government and stakeholders, and generally a special water management department is set up to take charge of all water affairs, attaching importance to daily management and maintenance, conducting in-depth investigations regularly, and emphasizing the information construction of levee databases and networks. The risk management of levees abroad tends to be socialized in disaster prevention. In reference to experiences abroad, the risk management of levees in China should be strengthened from improving safety standard, changing flood control concept, enhancing legislation, and risk management socialization and intelligence, to promote flood control capacity.

Key words: levees abroad, risk management of levees, levee database, flood risk, safety standard