SHANGHAI — Reuters reports that China's Yangtze tributary is seeing record-setting water levels and deadly floods, as experts increasingly question whether the Three Gorges Dam can do the job it was designed for: keeping severe floods at bay.

China started building the Three Gorges Dam in 1996 and the structure in Hubei province has been the world's biggest dam since its completion in 2012. Flood control is one of the main justifications for the project, as cyclical floods have been a historic problem in the region.

The dam stands at about 594 feet tall and 7,770 feet wide. However, Reuters reports that this is not enough to cope with the river's water levels, which have risen to a 20-year high, citing the University of Alabama's David Shankman.

CNN reports that since June, severe flooding has impacted 38.8 million people, including 2.24 million displaced residents and 141 dead or missing.